Only Yuichi Kazuki Knows
by XxRaindoshixX
Summary: Reinvents the story of Only the Ring Finger Knows by delving into the mind and heart of Yuichi Kazuki. His side of the story begins on a fateful afternoon, when he stumbles upon a person's lost ring ...
1. Chapter 1

**Only the Ring Finger Knows**

Original concept by Satoru Kannagi

* * *

Yuichi Kazuki leaned against the doorframe of room 4-A, his pale gray irises narrowing in annoyance as he spied the large throng of people gathered around the senior water fountain and washroom.

'_It's so crowded . . . bah; all I want to do is get a drink!! I'm not going to push my way through all those people just to do a simple thing like that . . .'_

Eyes wandering, Kazuki found his eyes drawn to a little square sign hanging above a doorway to his right, on the opposite side of the hallway as the water fountains:

**Floor 3**↓

Kazuki's eyebrows rose. _'Stairs . . . the junior floor's water fountains might be less crowded . . .'_

Gazing over his shoulder secretively to make sure none of his classmates were watching, Kazuki nonchalantly walked over to the door and quietly pulled it open, slipping through and heading down the flight of stairs to the junior floor.

When Kazuki poked his head out of the stairwell on the third floor, the junior floor, he was pleased to see the floor deserted. _'Classes must be running a little late here . . .'_ Not wasting any further time, Kazuki rushed hurriedly to the water fountains, twisting the knob to release the thin stream of water from the spigot and stooping over the cold metal to take a sip.

A bright flash out of the corner of his eyes caught his attention. Glancing up suddenly, Kazuki spotted a little silver ring laying on the edge of one of the washroom sinks, where it was catching the afternoon sunlight coming in through the windows and reflecting it off its shined surface.

Twisting off the fountain and glancing briefly over his shoulder to the junior classes still in session, Kazuki walked over to it curiously, picking it up and examining it interestedly.

It was indeed a ring; pretty generic, by the looks of it, with its only décor being a thin gold line running around the length of the ring in the middle of the silver. It was pretty in its own way, Kazuki supposed, and so he tried it on; seeing if it would fit his finger.

It did not. The ring slid down his middle finger too easily, hitting the base of his finger with a soft thud.

'_Hmm . . . too big . . .'_

He let it slide off his finger and fall into his palm, and he was about to put it back when suddenly a thought struck him: _'Junior classes will get out soon, and this place will be crowded. If I leave this ring where I found it, it could easily get knocked off the counter and fall down the drain! That wouldn't be fair to whoever bought it. I should give it to Lei-sensei or Odagiri-sensei, and see if they can identify the owner . . .'_ And so deciding this, Kazuki put the ring into his breast pocket, and headed back up to the fourth floor, and his next class.

Just in the nick of time, too, for as the stairwell door snapped shut on the third floor, junior classes let out.

Juniors started pouring out of their classrooms, to get a drink, visit the washroom, or just chill out together until their next teacher arrived. Among these teenagers were one Wataru Fuji and his friend Kawamura, who took up the back of the line in wait for the boy's washroom.

"Oh, man!" Wataru was saying, as he and Kawamura waited in line for the toilets, "I can't believe I lost it! I just bought it a couple weeks ago!! Argh, I'm so irresponsible!!"

Kawamura clapped his friend on the back. "Aww, don't worry about it, Fuji!! It's bound to turn up eventually . . ."

○**One week later**○

Yuichi Kazuki stood outside the Student Council room boredly, leaning up against the wall heavily and watching the afternoon sun sift in lazily through the windows; broken up by shadows of leaves dancing in the breeze outside. Agitated, he peered into the student council room for the fifth time, wondering when his friend, the Student Council President, would be done.

"Satoru . . . are you quite finished?"

The said boy looked up exasperatedly from the council record books, giving his impatient friend a flat look. "Could you perhaps wait one second, Yuichi? I'm doing something important. Besides, who are you to kick me out of here? You're not even on the student council!!"

Kazuki sent a smirk over to his friend. "Actually, I won the election for presidency, you know. You technically lost, so you should do as I say," he said smugly. "And I tell you to get out."

Satoru slammed the record book shut in annoyance, gathering up his belongings. "I'm done already, sheesh! And, FWI, you weren't even running for the presidency!! So your win doesn't count." Shouldering his bag, Satoru walked over to a grinning Kazuki and deposited the key to the student council room in Kazuki's outstretched hand. "There, your highness. Lock the door and turn off the lights when you leave, and don't tell anyone I gave you a key to this place! I don't wanna get busted when you're in here and get caught cutting class, you delinquent," he snapped, but smiled anyway. "Have a nice fan girl-free lunch break!" Giving a small wave, he exited the room and disappeared around the corner.

Kazuki immediately went into the council room, slamming the door shut and making his way over to the lounge chairs by the window. "Ahh … solitude …" He plopped down heavily and leaned back in the chair, staring tiredly out the window.

'_Man . . . I'm a senior this year. Which means college entrance exams are in my very near future …'_ Adopting a decidedly-angry expression on his usually calm and serene face, Kazuki cursed softly to himself and sat up. _'And everybody will expect me to do well on them; to get a perfect score _as usual_. That's all I'm good for, after all.'_ Kazuki scoffed. _'That's all I'll ever be to my classmates, my teachers, and even my parents! The elite scholar, Yuichi Kazuki. The perfect student. The perfect son. The perfect gentleman …'_ He kicked the counter in front of him angrily. _'Well, what if I decide one day that I _**_don't_**_ want to be perfect anymore? What if I decide one day that I _**_don't_**_ want to try anymore? They would never be able to accept that _I too_ have flaws . . . they don't seem to get it _**now**_ . . .'_

Yuichi sighed tiredly. "I'm not perfect …"

Suddenly, a thick black volume caught his attention, and he spared it a glance curiously. It was lying open on a nearby chair, as if someone had been looking at it but then left in a hurry.

'_Oh … Satoru … he must have been going through it …'_

He picked it up, discovering it to be a photo album. Distantly, it registered in his mind that the photography club also met in the Student Council room, and that this photo album probably belonged to them.

"Hey . . . they're school pictures . . ."

Now interested, Kazuki set the heavy album on the counter and leaned forward in his chair, resting his chin in his hand and using his other hand to flip through the pages of the album.

They were generic school pictures; shots of school events, teachers, and students—in short, just what anyone would expect to find in a school album. Kazuki flipped through pages of sports activities, giggling female students, the occasional busty cafeteria lady … stopping when a certain photo caught his eye or interested him long enough to pause.

In group photos of school clubs and councils, Yuichi stopped on the photo of the student council to look for Satoru. He saw his friend on the far left, smiling goofily at the camera. For a minute he thought about vandalizing the photograph, but just shook his head with a smile and moved on.

School Picnic pictures were interesting, too … it seemed that photographers with very quirky senses of humor had been present at the event, if the photos Yuichi saw before him were any judge of it. The photos only concentrated on bodies; most of the people in the picnic photos didn't have heads. Some of them were just blurs of color and motion; shots of a person running or jumping. Kazuki found himself liking the rawness of the pictures; the pure energy of the design. He took his time on that section, and made a mental note to ask Satoru about the photographers later.

Finally, he turned to the last section of the album; the most recent event that occurred at school.

"The school festival …" Brightly lit booths and laughing, colorful people filled these photos; frozen moments captured from the October school festival that had occurred not three weeks ago. A young couple, two of Yuichi's classmates, held hands in front of a game booth, smiling slyly at the camera. An elderly woman grinned at the camera, her arms loaded down with fudge from the freshman's booth. A thin, dark-haired boy looked over his shoulder startlingly, as if he had been caught unaware by the photographer. One hand hovered by the side of his pretty face, strands of his dark hair tangled in long, thin fingers, seemingly looking to tuck them behind an earlobe. The sun glinted off the boy's silver ring, adding a sort of _supernatural_ touch to the lighting in the photograph.

Wait a minute. A silver ring?

Kazuki bent over the album, taking a closer look at the ring. It was silver, with a very thin gold line running through the middle. That was the only decoration. A generic ring …

Kazuki stood up. "The ring! The one I found! It belongs to this kid …" He looked at the boy's surprised features once again, trying to put a name to the face. It certainly wasn't anyone in his grade …

With a sigh, Yuichi closed the album and put it away neatly where he knew it belonged. _'I don't know him … but I will have to ask Satoru about him later. Maybe he knows who the kid is? Until then, I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for him ….'_

The bell rang. Time for him to move on …

**○The Next Day○**

Kazuki and Satoru sat together during the senior lunch hour in the deserted Student Council room, enjoying their lunches and their conversation.

"…So I told her that if she went to that concert, we were through," Satoru was saying; Kazuki only half paying-attention to his rambling friend. He nodded in the right places, mumbled his assent on a few occasions, and put in his two cents when it was required. But frankly, his mind was elsewhere … shifting from one incomplete thought to another; not connecting in any significant way … just floating, almost dream-like—

"Can you believe it? She went to the concert with that guy anyway! She said that she didn't love me anymore; that we were finished—and you know what I saw? They had matching rings on, that guy and her!!" He growled angrily. "You know that stupid little fad that's going around that has every couple _obsessed_ with getting matching rings? And the gossipers just can't get enough of them either!! During breaks, it's always like, _'who's wearing what?'_ and _'who's wearing it also?'_ … it's like a **drug**!! People can't seem to get enough of those damn matching rings!!"

Yuichi stared boredly through Satoru, barely listening, thinking his own thoughts. Fad … yes, I know it … drugs … don't do 'em … rings ….

Wait. _Rings?!_

And just like that, Kazuki was wide awake again as he remembered his afternoon in the council room, looking through school pictures.

"Satoru!" He suddenly exclaimed, causing the red-haired boy to jump, choking on his words.

"W-what?"

Kazuki rose from his chair and retrieved the album from where he had tucked it away yesterday, immediately flipping to the back of the album and the picture of the thin brown-haired boy. "Who is this, do you know?"

Still a little startled from Kazuki's outburst, Satoru hesitantly leaned over the desk to take a look.

"Who, him? Hmm … he looks familiar …" Satoru grabbed the album from Kazuki's hands and studied it more closely … "Ah, yes! I remember. He's a junior. Used to go out with a friend of mine's kid sister … Nano, if I remember correctly."

Kazuki wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Please tell me that's at _least _his _surname_ … heaven help the kid if that's his first name …"

Satoru rolled his eyes. "No … that's the kid sister's name, idiot. I don't know his name," he quipped, tapping the photo. Suddenly Satoru's eyes narrowed. "Why do you want to know, anyway? Surely you don't …_fancy_ him?"

Kazuki nearly lost his cool for a minute. Taking the time to let the blood run back to his head, he swiped his friend upside the head with an open palm.

"Idiot!! Of course not!!" he barked furiously, appalled at the very _suggestion_ that he swung that way. "I just found his ring the other day, that's all!! I wanted to return it to him!"

Satoru jumped away from him, rubbing his head annoyingly. "Okay, okay!! Sheesh … so troublesome!! I was just curious … and for your information, there's nothing _wrong_ with being homosexual! You can't help who you fall in love with, ya know."

Kazuki grunted, still pissed, and packed up his belongings. "Sure, fine—let gay people shack up with whoever they want to …" he stated, heading for the door. "But do you _actually_ think that **I**; the stud of the century; the guy who has his own army of female fans; the _perfect man_ … would _ever _turn to another man for a partner? Ha! Don't make me laugh. People like me just don't turn gay …" He left the room without another word.

Satoru sighed. "His ego never ceases to amaze me …" He turned to the open album, intent on closing it and putting it away. His gaze fell on the photo of the dark-haired boy again; and, looking into the boy's startled cobalt eyes, he repeated his earlier statement to himself softly.

"You can't help who you fall in love with, Yuichi."

○Later○

The bell rang, and immediately the room was cleared of seniors; all of them scrambling to beat the end-of-school rush out the front doors—all, that is, except one.

Yuichi Kazuki hung back, waiting until the very last bubbly teenager left the room before slinging his bag over his shoulder and sauntering up to the front of the room where his teacher, Lei-sensei, still worked at his desk; scrawling notes messily on his lesson plans.

"Lei-sensei?"

The old man looked up, adjusting his glasses on the end of his nose to better see Yuichi.

"Kazuki-san …? What are you still doing here?"

Kazuki cleared his throat. "Sensei? Do you still have that ring I gave you about three days ago?"

It took a minute for the old teacher to realize what his star pupil was talking about.

"Ring? …. Oh, yes! Why, I have it here, in my briefcase!!" Reaching down, he heaved his large, brown-leather briefcase up on top of the desk and clicked it open, rummaging around in one of the pockets until he produced a tiny, silver ring from inside. "Here it is! I asked several of my classes about it, but no one seemed to claim it." Suddenly, he looked sheepish. "I am afraid that I have neglected to ask all of my classes… after the second day I'm sorry to say I forgot about it …"

Kazuki shook his head. "It's alright, Sensei. But, may I have it back, please? I believe I have located its owner, and would like to give it back to him as soon as possible," he quickly explained, reaching for the ring.

Much to Kazuki's chagrin, Lei gave an enthusiastic speech on how responsible Kazuki was, about how kind he was to his fellow students and how he wished some of the other boys would follow his example; gesturing wildly along with his praise.

Kazuki, true to his reputation, just smiled and nodded, trying to catch up the ring every time Lei-Sensei's hand whirled in his direction … but somehow it always seemed to remain out-of-reach, forcing Kazuki to wait for his teacher to finish rambling.

"… Don't you agree, Kazuki-san?"

Kazuki smiled warmly, despite the urge to hit the old man upside his head with his briefcase. "Yes, sir … umm, sir? The ring?"

The old man looked at him confusedly. "Ring?"

Kazuki had to bite his tongue to keep from saying something out-of-character. He merely pointed to Lei's closed fist. Lei looked first to his hand, then to Kazuki, and suddenly he remembered what they had been talking about.

"Oh, yes! The ring!" Kazuki heaved a sigh of relief when the silver ring was deposited into his waiting palm. "I'm sorry, I started rambling again … here you are, Kazuki-san! I hope you find its owner!"

Saying his goodbyes, Kazuki left.

"That … was more trouble than this little ring is worth," Kazuki muttered angrily as soon as the door snapped shut behind him. He walked quickly down the deserted hall towards the staircase to the junior floor, glancing at his watch.

"Tch … that little interaction with Lei-sensei put me back ten minutes … he's not going to be there …"

There were still juniors hanging around when Kazuki opened the door to the third floor, slightly out-of-breath from jumping the stairs; but as his eyes quickly swept across the area, he saw that none of them was the brown-haired owner of the missing ring.

'_Like I thought … he's not here …'_ Kazuki grunted softly in annoyance. _'Why am I doing all this work? It's not like I know this kid … I must really be as nice as people say I am to go through this much trouble …'_

Walking past a group of awe-struck female juniors, Kazuki went up to a tall, lanky junior male and tapped on his shoulder to get his attention.

"Excuse me …"

The boy jumped and turned around quickly, nearly choking on his own saliva when he saw who was standing behind him.

"Y-Yuichi Kazuki?!"

Expecting such a response, Kazuki skipped the formalities and cut right to the chase.

"There's a boy in the junior class that I need to speak with, but he isn't here. I'll have to see him in the morning, but I don't know which class he is in."

Still star-struck, the boy stuttered, "W-who is it? Maybe I can help …"

Kazuki blinked boredly. "I was hoping _you_ could tell _me_ … he's short, has messy dark-brown hair …" Kazuki stuck a hand in his pocket. "He's rather on the skinny side … and wears this." Kazuki pulled out the ring and showed it to the junior boy.

Up until this point, the boy's brows had been furrowed; not knowing who Kazuki was referring to. But as soon as he laid eyes on the ring, comprehension blossomed in the boy's eyes and he said, "Oh, that looks like Fuji's ring! You must be talking about _Fujii;_ and now that I think on it, your description matches him perfectly." He pointed to a door behind him. "That's Fujii's class. Did you want to find him to return his ring?"

Kazuki nodded dully. Then, suddenly, an idea struck him. "Hey, you seem to know this 'Fujii' kid … will you return the ring for me? I haven't got time to chase after him …"

The junior shook his head apologetically. "Sorry … I won't be in school for a while … I won't be able to return it to him. Besides, I'm not even in his class! I wouldn't see him … but I'm sure if you go ask one of those_girls_, I'm sure they would be _happy_ to do a favor for **the** Yuichi Kazuki …" the boy grinned at him, as if teasing him. Kazuki didn't like it, but to uphold his reputation he ignored the boy's overly-familiar attitude, thanking him and leaving.

'_There is no way I'm going to approach girls willingly … I'd get __**mauled**__ …'_

Heading out the school doors, Kazuki put a hand up to his head, sighing heavily as he ran his fingers through his straw-colored hair. _'I'll just get to school early tomorrow, and give it to him myself …'_

* * *

**And thus, Yuichi makes the decision that will change his life forever ...**

**DUN DUN DUN!!! Hehe. :D**

**You keep reviewing, and I'll keep writing. Chao!!!**

Retur


	2. Chapter 2

**○The Next Morning○**

"Yuichi, dear, where are you going?"

Kazuki paused with one foot out the front door, looking up to stare at his mother as she descended down the stairs, giving him a look between curiosity and concern.

"To school, Mother … where else would I be going?"

His mother stopped. " … But, Yuichi dear … school doesn't start for another hour and a half …!"

Yuichi grinned at his mother cheekily. "Well, you know what they say, Mother … _the early bird catches the worm _…" and with those words, Kazuki left his house, shutting the door firmly behind him.

"… rather, _the early bird catches the worm_ and **doesn't** get mugged by fan girls …" he muttered to himself as he walked down the street.

* * *

At school, Kazuki didn't waste any time; heading directly to the junior floor, avoiding any females he saw along the way. Upon arriving at the third level, Kazuki was somewhat relieved to see it deserted—he didn't feel like receiving any love-confessions this morning; he'd just eaten breakfast.

Kazuki strutted down the corridor, counting the doors lining the left-hand side of the hallway as he passed them. _'One, two, three … Here it is. Forth door on the left.'_ Fujii's classroom. _Finally_, he could get rid of this ring and life could go back to normal!!

Long, thin fingers stretched out, meaning to grasp the door handle and slide it open. However, mere centimeters away from the cool metal, Kazuki's hand suddenly hesitated as he was overcome with nervous anticipation, as if something of dire importance was about to happen to him …

'_What …?'_

Shaking the feeling away, Kazuki deftly slid the door open and peered into the classroom that _he himself_ had occupied not four months ago, waiting for the final day when school would let out for summer and he would, officially, be a senior.

Smiling at the memories that flooded him as he crossed over the threshold, Kazuki made his way over to the lone occupant of the room—a ginger-haired boy who was bent over a textbook, no doubt doing some last-minute studying—and cleared his throat to get his attention.

The boy looked up lazily, saw who was looming over him, and proceeded not to care. "Morning, Kazuki-_senpai_. What brings you here?"

Kazuki instantly liked him. Usually he couldn't tread into underclassmen territory without a lot of pomp and circumstance—it was rare to find someone other than a senior who was willing to treat him normally.

"Morning, _kohai_. Is this the classroom of a boy called 'Fujii'?"

The junior nodded. "Yeah. Sits there." He lazily pointed the end of his pencil at a desk near the front of the room, to the left by the windows. Kazuki nodded and gave his thanks, and the boy went back to his last-minute cramming.

Kazuki walked over to the desk, reached into his pocket, and pulled out the source of all this trouble—the little silver ring, with the generic design and cheap quality. Kazuki snorted. A little second-handed-shop ring …

That thought made him pause and think_. 'That's right. It's a standard design; simple yet retaining an elegance of sorts. Lots of rings have that one-lined pattern … I remember Touko giving me a lesson on rings once. Not that I paid much attention …'_

He looked down at the little circle glinting in his palm. _'Everyone I've talked to has believed this to belong to a classmate of theirs … but does it really? It is so generic it could be anybody's …'_ Kazuki groaned softly. _'It'll be just my luck that this turns out to be the wrong person …'_

Sighing, he gently placed the ring on the corner of Fujii's desk_. 'Well … it's a start. If I'm right, then I don't have to be bothered with this anymore. And if I'm wrong … then that's that. It'll be this kid's problem.' _Kazuki nodded firmly. _'Yeah. Sounds good. Either way, this little escapade ends now.'_

Nodding to the lone junior on his way out, Kazuki took one last look at the ring, sitting just right so it caught a beam of sunlight off its shiny surface. In that moment, Kazuki was caught in a sudden curiosity; a firm desire to know for sure whether or not the ring had been returned to its proper owner …

Voices broke him out of his stupor. Glancing quickly down the hallway, Kazuki saw a fresh wave of juniors advancing towards the classrooms, unaware of the infamous senior that was at that very moment gracing their wing with his presence—and Kazuki decided he'd like it better if it remained that way.

He retreated into the stairwell leading up to the senior floor, knowing very well that no other senior besides him would come down to the 'lowly' underclassmen wing. He decided that he would wait until he saw this 'Fujii' kid, and then watch inconspicuously from the doorway to see the boy's reaction when he found the ring. So he could see if the ring really did belong to him.

Kazuki didn't doubt that _that_ was the reason for sticking around. To see if he was right. Kazuki had always been labeled as proud; Kazuki himself would be the first one to say that he hated being wrong. So, for the most part, this was a way to further his ego—if the kid reacted to the ring, then Kazuki had been right all along and deserved recognition for all the trouble he went through to do the right thing.

However, some part of him … a little feeling in the back of his mind … told him that he _really_ wanted to see the owner of the ring in person. He wanted to see if the dark hair from the photo was black, or just a dark brown … he wanted to see stark, cobalt-blue eyes that were moving; not just frozen in a curious expression … he wanted to see the thin face and rounded ears of the picture; to see if they really were as feminine as they appeared …

And he didn't understand it. What was the big deal? The kid was just another stereotypical pretty-boy, no doubt … popular with the girls, friendly with the guys, but a _nobody_, with no individualism—no personality to speak of. _'They're all the same,'_ Kazuki thought bitterly as he peered out of the stairwell door at the crowd of juniors walking by, unaware of the caustic gray eyes on them. _'All those pretty-boy types … they wear the same clothes, style their hair the same as everyone else, listen to the same music, fight over the same girls …'_ Kazuki shook his head. _'Well, as far as I'm concerned, they can have 'em. I certainly don't want any girls …'_

A questionable statement, but true. Kazuki just wasn't interested in any of the girls that went to his school—and it wasn't for lack of looking, either. He'd had his fair share of girlfriends … however, (partly for the girls' own safety) he'd decided halfway through his junior year that girls were just out of the question for him; at least until he got to college. _'I don't have time for girlfriends, anyway …'_

"Hey, Fujii! Got a second?"

Kazuki was shaken out of his daze at the sound of the familiar name. _'Oh, here he comes!!'_

Discreetly, Kazuki peered out of the window of the staircase, trying to spot the head of dark hair that he knew from the photograph. He nearly gave away his hiding spot when he gasped in surprise as the boy he was looking for passed right by the window, startling him.

"Kawamura, shouldn't you have a hangover? Tachibana told me how much you were drinking last night …"

The slim, effeminate owner of the ring stopped not three feet away from Kazuki's hiding spot, and the senior found that he had a perfect view of the kid from where he was.

Narrowed, slate-gray irises took in the boy's appearance scornfully. _'So skinny …! What, is he anorexic?'_ His eyes wandered up the kid's body to gaze at his face. He was somewhat startled to find that the kid's eyes were _really _that blue—not just a trick of the light, as he had guessed by looking at the photograph. They were so stark they seemed to shine with an internal light of their own, and make all other shades of color surrounding them dull. It was incredible. _'Man, it's too bad that such pretty eyes had to be wasted on a __**man**__ … I wonder if he has a sister?'_

Shaking his head of ridiculous thoughts, his gaze became serious as he waited for the kid and his friend to retreat into the classroom, so Kazuki's curiosity could be sated and he could leave in peace.

"Uh-oh! Hey, Fujii, we're the only ones left in the hallway! Let's get inside before we're marked up as tardy …"

The blue-eyed boy nodded. "After you, Kawamura."

They headed to the classroom. Sighing with relief, Kazuki opened the door of the staircase swiftly, and silently followed them.

Fujii disappeared into his classroom, and Kazuki situated himself at an angle in the hallway so that he could see Fujii and his desk, but no one from within would be able to see him.

Much to Kazuki's annoyance, Fujii puttered around the classroom; taking his time to put his bag away, talking to various friends, organizing his books on the desk … only when Kazuki was about to give up and head to class did the brown-haired boy spot the ring.

Kazuki held his breath. Here it was. The moment of truth, so-to-speak. But what would the verdict be? Had the ring finally been reunited with its owner? Or would Kazuki lose this little game he was playing; the ring discarded and forgotten?

The boy's blue eyes blinked several times, as confusion clearly made itself known on his face. He set his books down heavily on the desk, and slowly, painfully slowly, he stretched out long, thin fingers to grasp the little piece of metal and bring it up to his eyes.

He examined it curiously, and for a moment Kazuki thought he'd lost the game.

Then, his blue eyes sparkling with an unknown, intense emotion … he smiled.

Sun rays of the most beautiful molten gold danced into the room through the clear glass of the window behind him, alternatively highlighting his apricot-hued skin and casting it in a mystic duskiness. The boy's thin pink lips stretched widely, the light from the window giving them luster and adding to the beauty of the smile. A window in the front of the room was open; a breeze fluttered in through the screen and ruffled his hair affectionately.

Kazuki froze. Like a car battery being jumpstarted, his heart kicked into overdrive, pumping his blood viciously through his veins and staining his porcelain skin a blotchy red. As he openly gaped at the boy's perfect, white teeth and widely-stretched, full lips Kazuki found himself unable to breathe. He clutched his chest and literally gasped for breath, all the while never taking his eyes off the face of the boy in the corner.

The smile was over as soon as it had begun; the boy's lips fell into a gentle expression as he tenderly slid the ring onto his right middle finger, holding out the hand afterwards to admire it. A perfect fit.

Kazuki couldn't take it any longer. Wrenching his gaze from the boy, he ducked out of sight, stumbling against the wall as his wobbly knees failed to support his weight. His eyes remained unseeing—all he could see was that smile, the likes of which he had never seen before. The way his eyes had crinkled, it seemed as if they were smiling as well, sparkling with such an intense emotion that Kazuki felt it would take a lifetime and a half to interpret it. But, _god_, he wanted to try … he wanted to delve into those beautiful, beautiful eyes and never come out again …

Kazuki furiously shook his head. _'W-what the hell just happened? Why am I thinking these things? It was just a stupid smile!!'_ He was angry, lost, and so _very_ confused … how could a mere show of happiness do that to _any_ human being, let alone _**him?**_!

"Hey!! There you are, man!! What are you doing just standing there? You have like one minute to get to class!!"

Kazuki's head snapped up; Satoru was hailing him from the senior stairwell, waving his arms frantically. "Get going, man!!"

Kazuki rose blankly, for a minute not even registering what Satoru was yelling. All that was in his head was a beautiful smile …

Satoru noticed the far-off look his friend wore on his fair face; a face that was usually focused and down-to-earth. It concerned him.

"Yuichi … are you feeling all right? You look like you've seen a ghost." Satoru put a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Wanna skip class? I made you a copy of the key to the student council room …" He dug into his pocket and pulled out a key, bearing the name of the local hardware store. "No one will be in there—until the photography class after lunch, that is. Why don't you go in there and rest up a bit? You don't look yourself." He pressed the key into Kazuki's limp palm.

Kazuki grit his teeth, trying desperately to make the little 'instant replay' session going on in his head cease, so he could pay attention to Satoru. "Huh? Oh …" His hand clenched around the key Satoru was offering him. "Thank you. I think I will … not … feeling myself," Kazuki's voice drifted off along with his thoughts, and he started making his way distractedly down to the ground level, and the vacant student-council room.

Satoru watched his friend as he left, worrying over him. _'What was __**with**__ him? I've never seen an expression like that before on his face … what happened?'_

The worried best-friend headed back up the stairs to the senior floor, his mind distracted with his _own_ thoughts.

"I wonder if the kid from the picture had anything to do with this …"

**○The Student Council Room○**

"Stupid, stupid, STUPID!!"

Kazuki's fist collided with his thigh violently; pain exploded in the affected area, but the straw-haired senior ignored it, going back to his frantic pacing across the floor of the empty council room.

"Why can't I get it out of my head?! That **stupid** smile … That's all it was; just a _stupid_ smile given by a _stupid_ kid!!" He pounded his other thigh, gritting his teeth at the sting. "People wear them all the time! So why did _this_ one affect me so much?! What made it so _different_ from all the others?!"

He sat down heavily in a chair, wincing as his throbbing thighs protested. He forced himself to calm down; exhaling steadily and relaxing his tense muscles. "To my credit, I don't think I've ever seen a more_beautiful _or _sincere_ smile … but still; why did my body react so violently? My heart …" he clutched the said area, "… my heart was beating so fast … and I was … _blushing_ …" he flushed again as he admitted that fact aloud, though it was to no one. His clenched hand opened again, and he stretched it away from his body, examining the palm as if it contained the source of all his distress. "Why? Why can't I … _forget_ it? Why is it that, no matter how hard I try, I cannot suppress the urge—no, the _need—_to see him again?"

In his head, the boy by the window smiled divinely once again, making Kazuki's heart pound and his knees wobble. "Argh!! That _damned_ smile!!!" To save him pain, his fist pounded against the desk instead. "It had no right to be so … _perfect_!!" His head fell onto the desk with a soft 'thump.'

Still cursed with the image of the pretty boy by the window, Kazuki's eyes wandered around the room colorlessly, trying to avoid the windows, lest he renew his memory of the incident and be plagued with the boy's smile for the rest of his day. Maybe even for the rest of his high school career …

It was this wandering of the eyes that led Kazuki to spot the black leather of the photography club's photo album.

He lifted his head off the desk in surprise as he suddenly remembered that day in the council room, looking through school pictures …

"Oh!! That photo …" _A thin, dark-haired boy looked over his shoulder startlingly, as if he had been caught unaware by the photographer…_

The need to see those cobalt eyes again _surged_ through his veins like adrenaline, though it was far more powerful than it had been previously. He found himself involuntarily reaching out for the black album, to soothe his reeling senses and find answers to a question that he himself was unsure about. He felt, deep down in the pit of his stomach, that if he saw those eyes just _one more time_ … he would understand …

He grabbed the album, yanked it over to the desk, and began flipping through the folios rapidly, only caring about _one picture_ … as his need reached a crescendo, so did his desperation to find it, ignoring all else in the album, eyes for _only_ one face … The desire to see it again was stifling; Kazuki barely breathed as he hysterically searched for the boy in the mass of blur and color whizzing by Kazuki's eyes.

And there it was. Near to the back; the photo of the surprised owner of the ring, the beautiful navy eyes staring up at Kazuki with an almost tender air, making Kazuki's blood boil again.

It was in those eyes that he found the answers he sought. Kazuki's own gray eyes widened as he came to a realization, as much as that deduction distressed him.

"It … _can't_ be!" he breathed out, on the edge of a nervous breakdown. _Impossible!_ He couldn't be … not with this _boy_, surely …!

But as he studied the effeminate features and bold eyes more closely, he realized that he simply could _not_ deny it. In a matter of seconds, Yuichi Kazuki's life had turned completely backwards.

He was in love.

The bell's chime, marking the end of class, found Kazuki in the same spot; his finger tracing the boy's outline as a deeply thoughtful expression passed across his face. His gray eyes were distant.

'_Am I in love? Yes; that is for certain. What else could make me feel this way? What else could make my heart beat so fast? I don't think it was a heart-attack,' _he thought scathingly, though he rubbed his chest awkwardly at the thought. _'Even if it felt like it …'_

He looked down at the boy's picture in front of him. _'Do I really love this __**boy**__, or just his smile …?'_ Somehow, explaining his feelings logically to himself this way seemed to remove the pressure that had been sitting on his chest ever since the incident that morning. He found himself calming down; no longer hot and bothered.

He slammed the photo album cover down suddenly; the resounding 'snap' filling the air with a sort of finality that Kazuki immediately liked. He pushed it across the desk, the leather of the album squeaking slightly as it skidded across the wood. Kazuki stood up, defiance sparkling in his silver irises.

'_I am in love with a __**smile**__, nothing more. The feeling will pass.'_

He left the student council room; flicking the light switch off and firmly closing the door behind him. In his wake, the album slid off the desk and clattered to the floor.

A picture fell out.

○**The Fourth Floor**○

"—and so, class, if you're ever in an English-speaking country, never misuse the phrase 'let's do it …'"

There was collective laughter as the joke sunk in; students packed up their English materials and chatted amongst themselves while they waited for the next teacher to arrive. Satoru was no different; he gathered up his papers, chuckling at the teacher's last remark and turning to Kazuki, sitting one desk behind him, to share in the mirth.

What he saw made him drop all his papers, where they scattered across the floor messily. "Y-Yuichi?!"

Kazuki's head was face-down on the desk, white-knuckled fingers clutching the edges of his desk desperately with muscles tenser than a drum's head. In a muffled, strained voice, Kazuki replied, "Satoru … _shut up."_

Satoru nearly choked on his own saliva. Kazuki could be rather difficult to handle sometimes, especially when you wounded his ego … but _never_, even on a teasing basis, had the phrase "shut up" ever come out of the male's mouth.

Satoru was officially concerned.

"H-hey, man … what's the matter? Don't you feel well? Are you still tired?" He looked around cautiously, noticing a few of the girls listening in on his conversation with worried expressions on their faces. He leaned in closer to his friend, bringing his volume down to a whisper. "It's just that I've never seen you like this, you know? You're scaring me, Yuichi … what's going on, huh?"

Kazuki lifted his head off the desk a few inches. "I don't want to talk about it," he shot, and then laid his head back down. "It's … nothing. Don't worry about me, Satoru … you know I hate it when you do," he added more gently; almost apologetic.

Satoru rubbed his head. "Yeah, I know … but someone has to do it. Sometimes I feel like you don't give a damn about yourself … always concerning yourself with others, you know? Trying to please them. If you don't feel well, _go home_. The teachers will not be disappointed in you or any other excuse you might wanna use … just call home, okay? Go!!"

Kazuki thought about it. _'Home … that might be a good thing. Maybe if I'm not at school, I won't think about __**him**__ …'_

And so it was decided; Kazuki left before the next class; packing away his belongings and heading down the stairs to the office, to sign out for the day. As he passed by the third floor, all the thoughts and feelings he was trying to keep at bay flooded through his head again, making him nearly scream out in frustration.

Walking slowly through the nearly-empty halls, Kazuki stuffed his hands into his pockets and sighed tiredly. _'I don't understand it … I left the student council room under the impression that I wasn't going to think about that kid anymore … but then, all during class, he was the only thing on my mind!!'_ He grunted angrily and rubbed at his scalp, as if punishing it. _'What's the matter with me?!'_

He passed the student council room. After only getting a few feet, he paused. "Oh …" And he turned back, remembering how he had carelessly tossed the album aside in his earlier temper. _'I should put that album back properly. It wouldn't be fair to the photography club if I just _left _it there …'_ and so he dug into pocket distractedly, his thoughts going back to his problems.

'_And it wasn't just the _smile,_'_ he added to himself, turning the key and opening the door. _'It was everything about him—his dark hair, his thin face, his small body, those blue eyes …'_ he switched on the light. _'If I ever come face-to-face with those alluring eyes again I don't know __**what**__ I'll do.'_

He saw the album, lying on the floor where it had fallen earlier. He walked over and stooped to pick it up—but just as his hand touched the black leather, his eyes caught a little blur of color standing out against the plain-tiled floor, fluttering in the breeze generated by the open window. His hand switched targets, and instead slowly grasped the fluttering paper, bringing it to his eyes.

It was a photograph. Kazuki swallowed thickly as he stared at the image with wide eyes, suddenly feeling very ill.

"…_Lord have mercy._ I'm _screwed._"


	3. Chapter 3

○The Kazuki House○

Kazuki's mother, Chie Kazuki, looked up startlingly as her son charged through the kitchen entrance of their two-story western-style home, a distressing look on his usually-calm face and his clothes disheveled.

"Y-Yuichi?! What are you doing home? What is the matter?" She immediately abandoned the frying skillet she had been washing and rushed over to Kazuki, who still had one hand on the open door and one hand steadying the bag slung over his shoulder. His cheeks were flushed, as if he had been running.

Kazuki took a moment to catch his breath, closing the door quietly and placing his bag off to the side. He then turned to his mother.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I wasn't feeling myself today, and decided to come home until I felt well again," he explained simply. His mother looked worried.

"Should I call the doctor, Yuichi? Do you have a fever?" She fussed over him for a few moments, before Kazuki pushed her aside gently.

"I'm fine, Mother. I'll just be up in my room …" He made his way distractedly up the stairs, muttering to himself softly and looking distressed. Chie heard his door close softly.

"Not himself … poor Yuichi. I'm going to call his father …"

Upstairs, Kazuki was pacing across the dark wooden floor of his bedroom.

"…I can't stop it … this feeling won't leave me … and now it's making me … making me _**do**_ things!" He stopped dead in his tracks, looking up with such a look of horror that had never been on his face before. He unconsciously gripped his pocket, his brain once again paralyzing his body with a wave of fresh guilt at what he had done.

"I … I _stole_ …"

And from his pocket he produced the photo of the pretty-eyed boy that he had stolen out of the photography class's album, smoothing out the crinkled edges with shaking hands.

'_I … I can't believe I stole something …'_ And the worst part was that every time he looked into those hypnotizing, sinful eyes—his guilt dissipated, and he wasn't sorry in the least bit for his crime.

He sat down on the edge of his beige-hued bedspread, clutching the photo with both hands and simply _staring_ at it. His eyes traveled over the china-doll face staring back at him, seeking to memorize every valley and mountain; every nook and cranny that that face held. To memorize the details that he was given—for even Kazuki, an expert in denial, knew that he would never get the chance to see that face close-up in real life—to examine the heavenly features as closely as he was able to in the photograph. No … Kazuki had been cursed the moment he admitted his love for the boy—for it was a fruitless love; and one he could not obtain in return.

"It's … impossible. He's a younger … _**male**_ … and very h-handsome at that. A guy like _him_ has no reason to turn to another man … for a lover …" He ran his fingers over those full, pink lips … the lips that had formed the smile that had begun everything. "Even if I _am _every girl's dream … it doesn't mean a single thing to _him_. Though he _looks_ the part, this boy is no female, and I _doubt_ that he can be willed over to my side merely by the sultry sound of my voice," Kazuki admitted sarcastically, though his eyes shone with disappointment. He seemed to realize what he was thinking, because he cast aside the picture with a grimace, and rubbed his eyes wearily.

"There's something wrong with me … to be thinking of _romance _with another _**man**_… Dammit, I'm NOT GAY!!!"

He instantly covered his mouth. _'Oh dear … I said that __**really**__ loud …'_

His fears were confirmed as his mother banged on the door not five seconds later.

"Yuichi … what's going on? Are you alright? I heard shouting …"

Through his fingers, Kazuki called out, "I'm fine mother … just a headache. I need to rest, that's all …" After assuring his mother of his health, Kazuki heard her retreat back down to the kitchen, and heaved a relieved sigh.

'_I've got to stop letting this get to me … I'm starting to act out-of-character, and people are noticing.'_ He glanced at the photo again, which had fallen face-up on the floor in front of him.

The unknown boy glanced startlingly up at him from the surface. Kazuki's heart jolted for the umpteenth time.

'_I don't even know his name … and I'm head-over-heels in love with him …'_ Kazuki buried his face in his hands. _'And I never will know it. He'll never return my feelings, no matter how deeply I fall for him. It's__**impossible.**__'_

Kazuki's heart ached. Somehow, admitting it to himself made it seem all the more hopeless. He found himself bitterly angry; why did it have to be a _man_ that Kazuki fell in love with? If the unknown boy had been an unknown **girl**, Kazuki would not be here, holding his head in shame and frustration. No, he would be _courting_ the girl, using his infamous kindness and lovely charm to win the girl's heart over.

But no: fate had decided to deal him a cruel hand, and make Kazuki's fairytale princess a fairytale _prince_ instead.

Kazuki, not being emotionally ready to openly woo a _male_, once again gave up the situation as hopeless.

'_There's nothing I can do,'_ Kazuki thought bitterly, picking up his love's photo and walking over to his desk, where he planned on hiding it. _'I'm just going to have to be satisfied with his picture, and never his person.'_

He opened his Japanese to English dictionary, intending to tuck the photo away in it's worn pages. However, as he set it down on the book, Kazuki's eyes were attracted not to the boy's face, surprisingly, but to the hand that hovered nearby, tucking strands of shimmering sienna behind a delicate ear. More specifically to the tiny, silver ring sparkling on the boy's middle finger.

Kazuki's hand reached not for the cover of the book, to close it upon the photo, effectively hiding it—but for the telephone instead, determinedly picking up the receiver and dialing a familiar number. He brought the phone to his ear, listening to the ring. A finger tapped upon the wood of his desk nervously.

"Hello … yes, this is Yuichi Kazuki. Is Ms. Touko Ishiwaga there? I have an order to place …"

○Some Time Later○

Kazuki drummed his fingers nervously upon the glassy counter of _Shippou Kobu_, the privately-owned jewelry shop of a close cousin, Touko Ishiwaga. After looking over his shoulders innumerous times and shifting about nervously, Kazuki rang the small hand-bell again, hoping Ms. Touko would come out before his paranoia killed him.

A frenzied clattering sounded from the back room, as well as a "Coming!" Ms. Touko's short-haired, pretty assistant came out, looking flustered and wearing an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry … there were a few things that the owner needed accomplished, and I was right in the middle of things when you rang. But now, here I am, so how may I help—"

She stopped when she finally looked at Kazuki; she was surprised for a moment, and then smiled warmly.

"Kazuki-san! What a pleasant surprise. Ms. Touko is in the back room now, adding the finishing touches to the ring you ordered. Hang on a moment and I'll see if she's through."

She bowed respectively to him, their customer, and bustled out of the room. Kazuki looked around the empty jewelry store apprehensively, shifting his weight to his right leg again.

'_I don't know why I'm reacting this way … it's a generic ring! If someone I know happened to drop by and see it, what are the odds that they would recognize it as that boy's?'_ Kazuki took a deep breath, and shuddered at the though of the gossip that would go around if anyone _did_ see the ring and know its origins. His secret would get out, and his reputation would be put through a shredder.

'_My secret … the one I barely believe myself …'_ Kazuki looked around again, as if checking for anyone who might have the ability to read minds—then realized his stupidity and firmly turned his back on the entire store. _'I am in love with another man. I admit it!!'_ He couldn't help his shifting eyes. _'Just … not out loud …'_

The door across from the counter opened. Kazuki looked up startlingly into two mischievous blue eyes.

"What's this? _Yuichi Kazuki_ staring off into space? If there's something wrong with you, little brother, then _fix_ it. I don't want anything to jeopardize my hobby of showing you off."

Kazuki forced down a scowl, and instead put a rather cheeky smile on his face. "I don't think that's a legitimate hobby, Ms. Touko. After all, I'm hardly your pedigree pet! You should try something else … like jewelry-making, perhaps? You know; your _job_?"

Touko just smiled and placed a small, white box upon the counter.

The banter immediately ceased as all of Kazuki's attention was drawn to the little box sitting in front of him. He looked back up at Touko and asked, "Is this it?"

Touko smiled. "_'The same ring worn by the person you love.'_ Down to the last gold stripe; exactly as you dictated to me over the phone. Would you like to see it?"

Kazuki's hand immediately stretched greedily towards the ring box, excitement bubbling up in his throat at the thought the little silver replica ring that would soon be his.

Inches from their prize, his fingers were slapped away; the box swiped out from under them.

Kazuki looked up, startled. "Hey!"

Touko smiled again, flourishing the box with a teasing hand. "Oh, come on, Yuichi. _'Make me a ring. The same ring worn by the person I love.'_ And you really expected me to hand it over to you without knowing who this person was?"

Kazuki felt his heart drop into his stomach and begin to go through the painful process of digestion. The exact question he _couldn't_ answer …

Kazuki stood up straight and did what he was best at—put on an act.

"You wouldn't know her." Yeah, it was the wrong pronoun. So what?

Touko pouted. "Come on, little brother! This is the first girl you've been interested in since junior-high!! At least give me the lucky girl's name …"

Kazuki steeled his lip, not just because of Touko's request, but the reaction it stirred in his heart.

'_I don't even know his name …'_

"I … I don't know this person's name." It was the truth, and there were no pronouns in this confession—all the better.

Touko looked shocked. "You mean she doesn't even know you like her?!"

"No." _'And **he** never will.'_

"Well, what are you waiting for? She's a girl; chances are she's already confessed to you. Didn't you say that most of the girls at your school have confessed their love to you?"

Kazuki hesitated. This conversation was going into too dangerous a territory for his liking. Touko was smart. Give her the least bit of information, and it could go a long way in her reasoning.

"Yes …"

"Then why so hesitant? You can have any girl of your choosing—and just when you find the right one—you opt to be shy?" Touko was frustrated with her younger cousin.

Kazuki swallowed. How could he get around the whole, 'she' is a 'he' thing?

"W-well, it's not that simple. S-she … she's never even _talked_ to me, let alone show any affection for me. And, to be honest, I don't think she ever will. I _have_ to give up on her; but I _do_ want her ring as a remembrance of my feelings for her …" he explained; telling, for the most part, the truth. After all: the nameless boy would never return another man's feelings, so Kazuki thought it was best to let go of the idea now before he got too attached to it. It could never happen.

Touko remained baffled. "But Yuichi … you cannot know a single thing until you try …!"

Kazuki still looked hesitant. Giving an annoyed sigh, she marched around the corner and brought Kazuki to a sleek designer's loveseat, sitting him down and taking his shoulders firmly.

"Listen. Here's what you have to do. First, if you're too shy to go up to her directly, then create a situation where you 'accidentally' bump into her. Then you will win an introduction and a name.

"Second, establish a cordial relationship. Be a gentleman. Carry her books and open doors for her; give her simple compliments and praise, all the while striving to be the best you can be in school and other activities to impress her. Then you will win her affection.

"Finally, take the relationship further smoothly, without your intentions being too obvious. Take her for coffee sometimes; driver her to school and to the movies. Then, when a regular pattern has been established, do something unexpected. Take her to a lake or a classy restaurant, and finally let your feelings for her show. Then, Yuichi, you will win her heart."

She let go of his shoulders and stood up straight, smiling down upon him. Kazuki stared up at her in awe, surprised at her knowledge of the rules of flirtation and romance. Everything she said had made perfect sense to him; giving Kazuki a feeling of hope about his love that he hadn't had before. He felt that if he did everything Touko had told him to do, the nameless boy's affection was within reach.

Slowly, gently, Touko pressed the little white box into Kazuki's hands.

"Good luck," she said.

The box seemed a cold, dead weight in his hands, stifling the positive emotions that had been bubbling up inside of him. Thanking Touko automatically and paying no attention whatsoever to his surroundings, Kazuki got up and stumbled his way out of her shop, retreating into the troubled waters of his mind.

'_Her plan is flawless. I could win the heart of this boy __**easily**__ with Touko's strategy in mind … but there's just one thing that would get in my way … __**testosterone**__'_

Though he was unaware of it, Touko watched him amble out of her shop with a bemused expression on her face. _'I wonder …'_

○12:00 PM○

The night was a cool one. Autumn had reached its climax in Japan; all the leaves had changed colors, and nearly all of them had joined the fallen ones on the ground below; their red, crisp corpses littering the countryside like the remnants of a bloody battle. In a more well-to-do neighborhood in the outskirts of the suburbs of Tokyo, the Kazuki household stood out against the dark masses that were its neighbors, for it bore the only light in the otherwise darkened street.

That lone light was shining from an upstairs window; the curtains had been pulled back, and the window left ajar—Yuichi Kazuki shivered slightly as the nearly-frosty breeze leaked into his room, ruffling his hair and blowing across his face.

Kazuki, in his favorite pair of silk gray pajamas, lay stretched out on his stomach across the bed, his head leaning against one hand and his ankles crossed above him. The light was shining from his bedside-table lamp, and it was all directed at a little white box that lay beside Kazuki's unoccupied hand, its top open and placed carelessly off to the side. More specifically, the light was directed to shine upon the silver object lying glistening in the foam of the interior of the box.

Outside, cicadas and crickets played a steady nighttime symphony, joined in occasionally by a wayfaring toad or a dog barking. But Kazuki registered none of it—his attention was upon the little white box, and the vast treasure that lay inside. _His_ treasure.

He had not taken it out of the box since bringing it home from Touko's. He had aimed to do _just that_ on several occasions—but at the last minute, his tension would flare and his hand would stay, inches from its prize. Kazuki couldn't help but feel as if he were about to defile something sacred in those instances, and the apprehension alone was always enough to stop him in his tracks. Something important was going to happen when he touched that ring: he was just too paranoid to find out what.

There was also fear in his _greed_—for Kazuki knew, though he told himself otherwise, that the ring wouldn't be enough. He knew that the minute that alluring ring touched his finger he could and _would_ never stop pursuing that boy. That boy …

Kazuki let his head fall from his hand and onto his pillow heavily. In all the confusion and violent emotions felt at the time of the smile, the boy's name, or what he knew of it, had slid out of his mind like a slippery fish--lost when the fisherman broke concentration and, consequently, his grip. Kazuki had been racking his brain ever since bringing the ring home with him, desperate to put a name to the face that constantly haunted his thoughts. But, to his aggravation, it would not come back to memory.

Breathing shakily and steeling his nerves, Kazuki decided it was high time to stop running away from his emotions, and finally touch the ring; the manifestation of Kazuki's unorthodox but none-the-less true love.

With one fluid motion, Kazuki picked up the ring and slid it gently upon his right middle finger.

A perfect fit, not that Kazuki was expecting anything different. After all, Touko had taken careful measurements and fitted the ring exactly to Kazuki's right middle finger, and no other.

Ignoring the feeling of longing and hopelessness creeping upon him, Kazuki held out his adorned hand, stretching out the fingers so as to better see his new ring. The silver positively glistened in the light of Kazuki's daylight lamp, and the gold seemed to sparkle with a light of its own, standing out against the lighter, grayer metal surrounding it.

It was his treasure; the only part of his mysterious crush that he could ever hope to own. Smiling forlornly, Kazuki gently brought his curled hand to his mouth; lips gently brushing against cool metal. With his eyes closed, he could pretend it was the soft, cool skin of the smiling boy, pressed affectionately against him. With his eyes closed, he could pretend that the ring he was kissing now was not a cheap imitation, but the real thing; given to him tenderly by the boy he so adored. With his eyes closed, he could pretend that the smooth, soft metal touching him now were the lips of a chestnut-haired boy, brushing against his teasingly, lovingly—

Kazuki fell asleep, hugging the hand the bore his treasure to his chest tightly, smiling through his dreams as he pretended with his eyes closed.

○A Week Later○

Seven days passed Kazuki by in a blur; the day after he had come home from school early, his mother had gotten his father, a surgeon, to agree to let their son stay home the next day, and recover. But Kazuki didn't think for a minute it was because of his health; his parents just didn't want anything to affect his good grades and high reputation.

Which was unfair to them, he supposed … they weren't bad parents in any sense of the word. They supplied him with his every need, and as long as he did well for them, they let him do whatever he wanted, within reason. But sometimes … Kazuki felt as if he had _ruined_ his own life; gotten his parents so used to the fact that their son was perfect that their expectations of him now seemed to him like the mountains; gaining mass and elevation with every passing year. Now, in his senior year, and university in his near future, the mountains of his expectations seemed larger than ever, and Kazuki was afraid he'd fall short and become a disappointment.

That day he stayed home, alone in a silent house with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company, Kazuki decided that he would never skip school again. Without the distractions of friends, schoolwork, or family, Kazuki couldn't escape the image of the boy by the window, and found himself more often than not gazing at the ring he hadn't taken off since that night, musing about the 'what-ifs' of his future. It had been a _nightmare._ He had only made himself upset with his thoughts, and Kazuki had never really functioned well when he was upset.

The day after that, on his return to school, Kazuki had been faced with a difficult decision. There, standing feet away from the school gate, Kazuki had had to decide whether or not to keep his precious ring on his finger. How could he bear to part with it, even for a short while? It meant so much to him, after all … On the other hand, he mused, someone might recognize it as a deliberate copy of the junior's ring, and question his motives. Or his fan girls, completely oblivious as to the ring's origins, would see it on his finger and immediately rush to get copies of their own.

The latter thought alone was enough to make Kazuki wrinkle his nose in distaste and slide the ring off his finger, to be deposited in his jacket breast-pocket. He didn't like the thought of other copies of **his ring **floating around. There was an intimacy, Kazuki felt, between himself and his crush, a bond they shared through the dual rings that he did not want to be trespassed upon by other doppelgangers. He and the boy were connected, because they were the only two people in the world with that ring, (or so Kazuki preferred to assume) thus Kazuki didn't want to lose his artificial closeness to anyone else. It was the only thing he had, and so long as Kazuki could, he would protect it.

That led him past the weekend to the twentieth of September; a cool and crisp Monday. The senior's class for the hour had, yet again, dismissed earlier than the other grade levels, and, yet again, all the seniors flocked to the washrooms, clogging the way to the drinking fountains.

And, yet again, Yuichi Kazuki was thirsty.

Leaning against the doorframe with an irritated expression on his face, Kazuki observed the chaos swarming about the lavatories.

'_Since when have the toilets been the proper social center of the senior wing? What an inconvenience …'_

Kazuki glanced down the opposite end of the hallway, where the familiar stairwell to the third level was located. _'Hmm…I wonder…'_


	4. Chapter 4

Trying to sneak away from your fellow classmates when you happen to be the most popular kid in school is not an easy task, as one Yuichi Kazuki found out. It seemed that as soon as he had taken one tip-toed step towards the stairwell, he had been noticed and thwarted by several of his friends, who surrounded him in hopes of gaining his attention (or the attention of the female student body by proving to them that they were friends with the great Kazuki). Kazuki did his best to simultaneously ditch them and be most attentive to their incessant ramblings; smiling softly and adding his two cents when they were required.

Still, even with all his efforts, it took an eternity to finally slip past his classmate's notice and glide down the hall silently, careful to make not a sound, lest he be discovered. When he was sure no eyes were on him, he pulled the stairwell door open with a jerk and flung himself inside. The door shut softly behind him.

Panting, Yuichi Kazuki was perhaps even thirstier than before, so he immediately took to the stairs, eager to get to his destination before the juniors beat him to it, or before his absence was noted above.

As he went to trail his hand along the railing, there was a distinct click as something hard hit the metal of the banister. Looking down, he saw his treasured ring around his finger, gleaming in the light from the ceiling.

_'Oh …' _he had been playing with his ring secretively under his desk during the lessons last period, and must have forgotten to take it off again upon his departure. 'I hope no one noticed it …' It wouldn't do to have any rumors circulating about it, he thought distastefully.

But now, with the junior wing in sight, Kazuki faced a dilemma. All his senses were telling him to take it off; remove it before it is seen—and yet, his heart was thinking of his beautiful crush, and the favorable events that could result from him seeing the ring …

Slipping into a dreamy fog for the rest of his journey, Kazuki silently opted to let the ring be.

One glance into the deserted third-floor hall told Kazuki all he needed to know—junior classes hadn't let out yet, no one was in the hallway, and the drinking fountains were clear. Satisfied, he opened the stairwell door all the way and walked out briskly; wanting to hurry so he wouldn't get caught by the juniors sure to go on break shortly.

Arriving at his destination, he quickly stooped over and twisted the handle, drinking from the spigot thirstily.

He supposed a part of him was disappointed … in the delightful daydreams had on his way down the stairs, his mind had entertained the idea of a meeting between himself and his secret crush. It had been perfect in his imagination—empty hallway; not a soul around … just the pretty-eyed boy and Kazuki … Kazuki had pictured himself suavely introducing himself, turning on the charm … he'd seen in his mind the boy blush, enamored by him, introducing himself back …

Kazuki sighed, and turned the knob off. He only wished his fantasy could be reality … or even a little bit _plausible _…

Kazuki lifted his hand from the tap—but when he did; he discovered that he had put his hand in something sticky, and now his hands were also sticky. He wrinkled his nose in disgust.

'_Ugh … gross …'_

With a watchful glance back to the junior classrooms behind him, Kazuki side-stepped the drinking fountain and went to the sinks, where he wriggled his precious ring off his middle finger and set it gently on top of the stainless-steel sink. He lathered up his unclean hand with soap and washed it thoroughly.

A door opened and closed softly behind him, almost going unheard over the sound of the running water. Kazuki whipped his head behind him, afraid that junior classes had let out and any second he would be engulfed on all sides by giggling, drooling girls and never be seen or heard from again.

But he soon relaxed; it was only one boy, scrubbing at his face tiredly with both hands, and lurching unsteadily towards Kazuki and the sinks. He wasn't even paying attention to his surroundings, so Kazuki figured his presence would go, for the most part, unnoticed.

The boy arrived at the sinks just as Kazuki was drying his hands, and Kazuki watched disinterestedly as he plucked a ring off his finger, just as Kazuki had done. However, whereas Kazuki had placed _his_ ring with the utmost care down upon the tabletop, this kid fumbled with his, nearly dropping it down the drain and only managing to save it at the last second. He hurriedly set little circlet of silver down on the table with a loud 'clack', one that made Kazuki cringe inwardly.

'_Is he drunk, or just incredibly clumsy?'_ Kazuki shook his head. _'I don't care. I'd best head back to class,'_ he thought dismissively, and reached for his ring.

Next to him, the boy turned on the tap and bent over the sinks, filling his cupped hands with the cool, refreshing water pouring out from the faucet. Kazuki heard a faint mumble; "Urrgh, I feel like crap …" before the boy brought his cupped hands to his face with a snap, effectively splashing himself.

Himself, along with Kazuki's uniform top. "Whoa!" Kazuki recoiled slightly as water droplets pelted him out of nowhere.

The boy finally registered Kazuki's presence, and Kazuki heard him exclaim, "Oops!! I'm sorry, did I get you?" The sound of running water also disappeared. Kazuki reached into his breast pocket, and pulled out his handkerchief; offering it to the boy beside him. The boy, still stooped over the sinks, looked at it with surprise.

Inwardly, Kazuki sighed. Well, so much for going unnoticed. Now this boy had gone and splashed himself, and Kazuki's reputation had told him to offer his assistance, as always; no matter if the news that Yuichi Kazuki had been hanging around the junior wing would be all over school by the next day. So Kazuki offered the kid his personal handkerchief, staring blankly ahead of him and saying dully what he knew what was expected of him, according to his character.

"Wanna dry off? Your bangs are soaked. It's all right, I didn't get splashed that badly," he said kindly. Well, to the junior it might have sounded kindly, but to Kazuki it had been said in monotone.

The junior blinked, and said, "Oh … th … thank you!" The folded kerchief was taken from him. Kazuki let his arm drop, and prepared to leave.

Before he could, the boy spoke again. To be polite, Kazuki paused and let him have his few words.

"Umm … thanks! I'll give it back when it's been … washed …"

Kazuki heard the boy trail off suddenly, but put it off as absent-mindedness, or a loss of focus on the junior's part. After all, the boy seemed to Kazuki _very_ absent-minded. Kazuki, still staring off uninterestedly, paused—just to be sure the boy had finished addressing him. He did not want to be rude.

"Yuichi Kazuki!!" Kazuki blinked out of his reverie at the familiar sound of his name, blurted out in shock and utter disbelief by the junior.

"What …?" Kazuki looked, finally _looked_, into startled cobalt-blue eyes …

And nearly had a coronary.

Yuichi Kazuki, for once in his life, had nothing cool to say. He could barely retain enough brain power at that moment to even _look_ cool—he shamelessly gaped at the smaller boy in front of him, eyes wide and mouth in a tight line. Finally, a lone, feeble thought drifted across his mind:

' … _That boy's ring is in my hand right now. In the open. Where he can see it, if he just looks down …'_

In his stupor at the sudden appearance of the boy he had been dreaming about for a week and a half, the thought took a while to penetrate his brain. When it finally did, and he registered the consequences of such an event, he began to panic. As the overwhelming sense of vertigo flooded his body, Kazuki struggled with a blush.

'_Oh, no! If he sees my copied ring, it'll all be over for me! He'll demand where I got it, and I won't be able to answer him, and then he'll discover my secret! I can't let him see it!!' _

Kazuki quickly sorted out his options. He didn't have many. '_If I pull my hand away quickly, he'll spot the movement and look down … and then he'll catch sight of the ring for sure!! Oh god, __**I can't let him see …!!**__" _There was no other option. Kazuki had to distract him.

Kazuki gulped discreetly, and tried to think of something to say that would simultaneously draw his beautiful crush to him, and distract him from the doppelganger ring hovering just below his line of sight. When Kazuki looked the slight boy in the eyes, preparing to dazzle him, he was relieved to see that the boy seemed quite stunned in his own right. Which meant that Kazuki was safe, so far.

'_Distract him, distract him …'_ His lips turned up in a smile. He took in the sight of those cobalt-blue eyes numbly, and then his brain shut down. His mouth opened of its own accord. "Hmph. I've never been treated so casually before by someone I've never met … and an underclassmen, no less!"

The boy jerked out of his stupor. He looked startled. "Oh, no, I—crap—I'm _sorry_…"

'_Can't let him see it … can't let him see it …'_ "When you see a celebrity on the street, I bet you point and yell, 'It's what-his-name!' right?"

The boy's look of distress quickly turned to one of offense. "I MOST CERTAINLY DO NOT!!"

'_Can't let him see …'_ Kazuki, now that the boy was distracted by his anger, subtly folded his arms, hiding the ring safely from view under his arm in a clenched fist. "Hmmph! Whatever. Because of your clumsy splashing, my uniform's gotten soaked … but again, whatever."

Kazuki couldn't keep his arms crossed. It was out of character for him to be so teenage-ish, and surely the boy would recognize this and question the motives behind the argument. Kazuki had to get it in his pocket. But how?

Kazuki's gaze flitted to his handkerchief, still clutched in the boy's hand. And he knew what to do, then—keep up the distractions. Even at the risk of being rude, out-of-character, and downright mean, Kazuki could not allow the boy to see his ring in Kazuki's hand. There was no other way.

Kazuki stepped up to the boy. "But let me just say one thing …" He reached down and grasped his handkerchief. And he paused, waiting.

The boy looked into Kazuki's gray irises, his own dark eyes ablaze with anger and confusion, and then those eyes turned downward and focused on the handkerchief that was being rudely taken back.

And that was what Kazuki had been waiting for. While the boy's attention was entirely on that handkerchief and the pale, long fingers that were yanking it back, Kazuki lowered his other arm and slid his hand into his pocket. With an enormous amount of triumphant relief, Kazuki let the ring fall from his concealed hand and into his pocket. The boy never noticed a thing.

Kazuki pulled the kerchief from the boy's hand. "Wash your face at home," he advised rudely.

Kazuki nearly _felt_ the boy snap. And even if he hadn't, the boy didn't hide any of his emotions—his muscles tightened, and his fists clenched in anger. Kazuki inched a little bit closer to his secret crush, looming over him in such a way that would keep the boy's attention upward instead of downward while he pulled his hand out of his pocket, ring-less, and put it on his hip.

The boy looked up at him with burning eyes. It was obvious that he was trying to come up with a comeback—but Kazuki didn't care. From this distance, he could smell persimmon and spice (a mixture of the boy's shampoo and cologne, no doubt) and see those sparkling blue eyes that he had studied so religiously before. That was enough for him. He stood there, oblivious to the boy's anger, soaking up his beautiful crush's presence.

"S…SO WHAT?! This is the third floor! The seniors' floor is the fourth!"

Back to reality, painful as it was. Back to the fact that this persimmon, jewel-eyed beauty would never be his. Back to the hole that he was currently digging for himself …

Kazuki turned away. "Well sorrrry … it was crowded on the upper floor. But don't you worry. I won't come back." _'I can't … not now …'_

The elite student strode arrogantly down the hall, head high and sure-footed. But his face, now hidden from the boy's view, fell despairingly. This was nothing like he had pictured their first encounter to be … what had he done?

"W-WAIT!!"

Kazuki stopped; eyes wide. Could he dare hope? No, it was obvious the boy hated him … his features set stonily again, and he turned around, uncaring. He made eye-contact, letting the boy know he was listening.

"Y-your insulting tone … isn't that more rude than just acting casual?!"

Now that the worries were over, and no more distractions were needed, Kazuki didn't want to be mean. In fact, he had had enough of exchanging harsh words with this boy—and though he was sure his face wasn't showing it, he was upset. Utterly, painfully upset. This wasn't how it was supposed to be …

"And …?"

The boy apparently wasn't expecting such a dismissing, sarcastic reply. "W-well …!! I … I mean—I have a name!! WATARU FUJI!! DON'T FORGET IT!!"

And there it was. Something that Kazuki had wanted just as much as meeting the boy—a name. A beautiful name that he could put with the beautiful face, and now he had one. And he wasn't disappointed.

'_Wataru … Wataru Fuji …'_

He looked those cobalt eyes dead-on, eyes alight with flickering emotions, and he silently promised something to them. Staring at those eyes, he vowed never to forget.

'_Wataru Fuji … trust me, your name I will remember always.'_

"Fine. This is for Wataru Fuji." This was for those stunning blue eyes, for that soft sienna hair, for that thin, pale face …

Kazuki turned, so he was looking at Wataru over his shoulder. "**Don't** order me around."

He turned away. _'This promise is for you, Wataru Fuji …'_ He pulled open the stairwell door, and disappeared through it, never looking back once.

'_I won't ever forget you …' _

Kazuki sat with his back against the stairwell door, his head resting on the aged, cracked wood and his silvered eyes drawn taught in a narrowed frown. His hands lay at his sides, fingers clenched into fists, and they trembled unevenly. He inclined his head, watching distractedly for pedestrians on the stairs above.

His heart beat erratically, and beads of sweat slid down his face; cool against his burning skin. His teeth clenching, his eyes burning, his pulse racing—so many side-effects of one whole emotion that he couldn't name. What was this charring emotion inside him? What name had this feeling, a feeling that wanted him to do something irrational and violent? His breaths came in gasps. What was this sensation?!

Anger? Definitely. It was the most prominent and identifiable feeling sweeping his senses. But what were the other ones, the ones creeping on anger's back and sneaking past registration? Rejection? Frustration? Loss? Which of those made his eyes burn and heartbeat thump?

Kazuki shut his eyes tightly, trying to gulp down the sudden lump that was in his throat. A voice, caustic and patronizing, rang in his mind.

"_**Wash your face at home … Don't you worry. I won't come back … **_**Don't**_** order me around …"**_

As his cruel words reverberated in his mind—over, and over, and _over_ again—Kazuki felt more and more ill.

"What … have I _done_?!"

Those stark blue eyes, perfectly captured in the flash of an innocent camera … they had _looked_ at him. They had been solely focused on Yuichi Kazuki—and what had the infamous senior done? In the face of another, the reputed "nice guy" of Class 4 had been _unkind_. His arctic eyes had turned the atmosphere frigid, and he had subtly alienated the one who, above all others, he wanted to bring _closer_ to him. He had ruined _everything_.

"Tch …" With uncharacteristic irony, Yuichi dipped his head and let out a bark of laughter. "Don't you have to know what that 'everything' _is_, before you know whether or not you ruined it?"

Bringing up and knee and resting an elbow on it, Yuichi slid his hand over his eyes and up over his forehead, clenching it in his straw-colored hair. His other hand found its way to his pocket, from which he procured his treasured, significant ring—a significance which had shattered and now lay ruined on the remains of his highly colored fantasy.

He gripped it with all of his might, gritting his teeth as he began another battle with the nearly-overpowering emotions inside him.

"What have I done? What have I done? What the _hell_ have I done?!" Over and over, chanting this repetitive mantra as if it were the spell that would break him from this alternate universe—this hiccup of reality in the life of Yuichi Kazuki. As if these four simple words in combination would restore the norm of life as he knew it—school, girls, grades, and unsurpassable popularity.

He unclenched his fist slowly, almost reverently, watching as his fingers uncurled like the petals of a blossoming flower revealing its center. And indeed, the little silver ring in his palm was his center—the center of his heart, or his soul, or whatever else in his body that made him feel with such intensity this damned anonymous emotion!

He lifted the ring closer to his intense eyes of a matching hue, watching as the overhead light played of the polished silver and highlighted the gold … and in doing so, he noticed something else—something that wasn't quite right …

"Wait a minute … what's this?!"

His precious ring! His precious, brand-new ring—had _scratches_!

Hundreds upon hundreds of little grooves, gathering amongst each other like the wrinkles of an old man, showing his age. They ran the entire circet of the ring, inner and outer, and made his fairly-young ring seem as old as the hills.

"This … can't be! Impossible! What could have happened to damage it in such a short amount of time?! I've been so careful …!"

He suddenly gasped, gray irises dilating in horror as an epiphany struck him.

"Uh-oh …"

Slowly, with trepidation, he reached down and tried to slide the ring onto his usual ring finger; the middle digit of his right hand.

Thump. It hit the base of his finger with a soft sound. His eyes widened further, if it were possible—for his fears were reinforced …

_This was not his ring._

"No … no … no no no _**no**_!!" Desperately, Yuichi started jamming it on other fingers, hoping that by some miracle he was only delusional and was mistaking another finger for his middle one. Or, by another, larger miracle, it was not Wataru Fujii's ring in his possession, but his own.

Every single finger he tried was another portion of his composure violently ripped to shreds—too big for his right index, too small for his left thumb, too big for his right ring finger …

There were only two fingers left to try, and by that time Yuichi had nearly completely lost his cool—so naturally he was very startled when, as he went to jam the ring on his left ring finger, he was met with a familiar snugness of a perfect fit.

"What …?"

He spread out the fingers of his left hand, and observed his newly-adorned ring finger curiously. "A … perfect fit …"

The left ring finger. How incredibly ironic, he though, with a slight smile. The finger of couples. Was it a sign? Was this some wayward Aphrodite or Venus, come to give him the hope he so desperately wanted?

…No, it surely was some Eris, telling him he was a fool and needed psychotherapy. Yuichi sighed, pulling the ring off. There was no excuse for him now; nothing he could pull out of the air to save himself like last time. Now, Wataru Fujii would know of the doppelganger rings.

Now, he was **done** for.

"What have I done?"

This wouldn't do. This wouldn't do at _all_.

Yuichi, trying to swallow the lump in his throat (a lump he was getting very familiar with, as of late), paced back and forth nervously in the hallway of the third floor, occasionally sparing the open door of Wataru Fujii's classroom a jittery glance.

'_This won't do at all,'_ he repeated mentally, forcing himself to stop pacing. _'It won't do for a fan-girl or any other student to see __**the**__ Yuichi Kazuki so shaken up! Even if I _am_ shaken up …'_ Yuichi gazed at the open door again and the butterflies in his stomach renewed their disorganized protest of his future actions.

'_I … I can't do this …'_

Wringing his hands, Yuichi made as if to turn away—but halted soon after. He started mulling things over—again—and re-convinced himself that this was necessary.

'_No … I have to do this. I have to go in there and give Wataru Fujii his ring back! If I don't … it might rouse suspicion! The Yuichi Kazuki everybody knows would never hesitate to give back somebody's rightful property … on the other hand, this might completely expose the history behind my ring … and that would make a laughingstock of me! Or worse yet—nullify my reputation in the eyes of my professors …'_

Yuichi went back to pacing. "Am I willing to sacrifice my reputation for this boy?" He muttered to himself thoughtfully—but then, with another attack of that earlier, nameless emotion, he revisited his earlier encounter with his crush. His head lowered in shame.

'_I have already tarnished it in the eyes of Wataru … what could be worse than that?'_

A sense of defeat washed over Kazuki then, with it a sense of hopelessness that almost made him want to discard Wataru Fujii's ring and give up this whole crusade.

But the thought of seeing those blue eyes again, even narrowed in anger, was enough to let resolve settle in and make Kazuki march towards the open door with stony features.

After all, Yuichi thought mockingly, wasn't it better to have loved and lost, than never loved at all …?

Yuichi scoffed. Obviously Shakespeare had never met a gay man …


	5. Chapter 5

Kazuki walked up to the half-open door of classroom 3B and slid it back all the way, coarse slated eyes burning with determination. He leaned up against the doorframe; an action that was somewhat habitual for him, whenever lingering in an open threshold.

…It may or may not have also had _something_ to do with his "cool-guy" reputation … but it wasn't as if he would ever admit that to himself.

One arm bent at the elbow and resting on the doorframe, and the other tucked into his pocket, Yuichi let his eyes wander, putting on a show for the girls who had begun to notice his presence.

"Hey! Hey, look! Isn't that Yuichi Kazuki?!"

He didn't want to appear too eager, so he took his time, letting his eyes rove the classroom nonchalantly. Inwardly, Yuichi scoffed. As _if_ he needed to search for something he already knew the location of …

That desk in the corner by the windows never left his peripherals for a minute, and his senses kept keen watch of Wataru Fujii's actions. Currently, Fujii had his head bowed, glaring angrily at the scratched and worn surface of his desk. For a few brief moments, Yuichi's heart panged painfully, echoing the despair of before—but Yuichi willed it from his mind before his emotions got the better of him. He reminded himself he was in a public place, and there was an unraveling reputation to hold together.

The boy's orange-haired friend, Yuichi noted, bent down to whisper into the petite boy's ears, subtly pointing to him. Yuichi took that as his cue, and just as Wataru looked up Kazuki let his gray eyes wander over to that portion of the classroom, "spotting" him.

Yuichi drew in a shaky breath, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Well, it was now or never …

As regally as possible, Yuichi pushed off from the wall and sauntered over to Fujii's desk, crowds of awe-struck juniors parting like the waters of the Red Sea before Moses, giving him room. All eyes were on his figure as he reached Wataru's desk.

The stubborn boy had defiantly looked back down, as if to _ignore_ him. That sparked a bit of anger in Kazuki's mind. He wasn't used to being ignored, and he didn't like it.

"Hey, _**you**_."

He was becoming increasingly more and more incensed as the boy continued to stare down at the wood, clearly disregarding the famous senior inches from his face. Kazuki's gray eyes narrowed.

"You can hear me—answer me!!"

Suddenly, the boy's palms slammed down upon the wood of his desk, and the loud shriek of metal on tile was heard as Wataru's chair was shoved angrily back, Wataru himself standing up sharply. Kazuki's features set stonily, preparing for an outburst he felt was well deserved. He had expected as much.

"You know, I don't have to take this from yo—!!"

As Yuichi stared down callously at Wataru, a strange and bewildering thing happened. When cobalt blue eyes met their adversarial gray ones, the rest of Wataru Fujii's words died on his lips. Kazuki's heart skipped in wonderment as Wataru simply stared, his cheeks taking on a rosier hue.

Yuichi was careful to keep his face as stony as it had been before—a masterful display of control over his reactions, if he did say so himself—and kept close tabs on everything taking place in those blue eyes before him.

There was awe, bemusement, and definitely anger … and yet there was also something else, something Kazuki couldn't name …

Kazuki, heart fluttering at every descent of those long eyelashes, decided he would surrender _anything_ for this moment to last forever. To feel this intimacy with the object of his desire for the rest of his life …

Unfortunately, it seemed as soon as he made this wish, Wataru Fujii snapped back to life, seemingly more frustrated than ever (though it seemed to be more at himself, than Kazuki).

"I … I said …"

Yuichi let one eyebrow elevate; a mockery that the boy well deserved, for taking away his moment of bliss.

Wataru obviously didn't feel the same about his worthiness. Flushing darker, he snapped, "I _**said**_ my name is—!!"

Kazuki smoothly interrupted, "Wataru Fujii, I remember." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, acting as if he couldn't be bothered by their unfriendly banter. The junior girls in the background started whispering amongst themselves, squealing and fawning over Yuichi Kazuki's presence in their classroom.

Wataru obviously hadn't expected to be interrupted; he lost his train of thought, and stuttered out, "Huh?"

Kazuki's hand, still buried in his pocket, clenched around Fujii's hidden ring, and he swallowed down all the nervousness he had of this situation. It was now or never…

"I came to return this … Put out your hand."

Wataru's hand unconsciously stretched out, his voice impossibly perplexed; "…Return?"

With one swift movement, Kazuki pulled the ring out of his pocket and dropped it into the waiting palm of the younger boy. Kazuki's hand immediately mourned the loss of the ring that started it all …

Wataru lifted the ring to eye level. "A ring …?" He muttered distractedly, examining the design closely. Kazuki waited, but Wataru continued to look confused.

One yellow eyebrow rose. _'Is this guy for real? He doesn't even recognize his own ring! What an airhead,'_ he thought callously, but decided to help jog the boy's memory anyway.

"We must have switched at the water fountain. You took mine by mistake, didn't you?" Kazuki's conscience scolded him for passing wrongful blame on Wataru, when it was in fact Kazuki himself who had grabbed the wrong ring—but Kazuki chose to ignore this little fact. Details, details …

Wataru's irises dilated. "Switched …?" He looked down at the ring in his hands, and then back to Kazuki with utter disbelief on his face. "Does that mean you have the same ring as me?!"

Kazuki inwardly winced. _Seriously_, could the kid get any louder? Practically _feeling _the whispers that burst from the girls at this newfound information, Kazuki quickly tried to salvage his reputation and his "cool-guy" persona by stating flatly, "I'm not happy about it either. Just hurry up and give mine back."

Not wanting to take Kazuki's word for it, Wataru took up the other ring from his desk and raised that to eye-level too, scrutinizing both carefully. His orange-haired friend, wanting to get himself involved in the situation, (probably to impress some girl by getting a word in with Yuichi Kazuki) looked over Wataru's shoulder and examined the rings as well. "Wow, they are the same!" He exclaimed. Kazuki's gaze became scathing.

'_Excellent deduction, Watson,' _he thought colorlessly.

Wataru then spoke up, done with his comparison. "It's true!" He lifted one hand higher than the other. "This one's mine. I can tell from all the scratches on it." He looked back to Kazuki's ring. "I always wear it on my middle finger, but when I tried to wear _this_ one, it suddenly only fit my ring finger! No wonder …"

Kazuki couldn't help his eyes widening at that statement. _'His … ring finger?'_ Kazuki suddenly revisited the earlier happenings in the stairwell, when he had desperately tried to make Wataru's ring fit him. _'But the only finger that had worked … was my __**ring finger**__ …'_

Suddenly realizing that his emotions were visibly getting the better of him, Kazuki returned his features to that stony flatness he was used to bearing around Wataru, and held out his hand impatiently.

"Whatever. Hurry up and give me back my ring." He thought of his reputation, shivering, cold and neglected, in the dark recesses of his mind. He decided that helping it out would be nice. "It's not as if I _like_ wearing a paired ring with you," he added. "But a friend made that specifically for me … so it's precious to me."

Wataru was back to being angry, exhaling noisily. "You don't have to tell _**me**_ that! _Here_!!" And he carelessly tossed his ring's counterpart back to its rightful owner, Kazuki catching it deftly.

Now that there was nothing left to hide, Kazuki figured he may as well put his ring on; so he gently slid the circlet around his finger, basking in the heat that emanated from the metal, from being enclosed in Wataru's hand. If there hadn't been any people around, Kazuki would have very much liked to bring the ring to his lips.

Thank _god_ he resisted the temptation.

The friend, eager to reinsert himself in the conversation, put two fingers on his chin (a pose which he must have thought looked cool, but in truth took away the C and added an F) and said, "That same ring looks different on him, Wataru. It looks classier."

Yuichi tuned out their bantering then, instead just focusing on adjusting his ring on his finger. He watched the way the lights played off the silver surface, and lit up the gold line in the center. _'Maybe … I should go …'_

But then, Wataru was talking to him again, and everything else went away. Kazuki's attention quickly snapped to the short boy.

"But it's a good thing you noticed that the rings were switched. It didn't even occur to _**me**_. I thought I'd gotten fat …"

Kazuki didn't know quite what to say to that. _'Great … of all the people I had to fall in love with, it had to be the class idiot …'_

He crossed his arms, and shifted his weight again. "You know … _most_ people would have realized the switch the minute they tried on the ring. Take me, for example. The only time I'd removed my ring was at the water fountain … and you had been the only one next to me at that time. Naturally, that led me to assume we had switched."

Kazuki considered Wataru's theory again, and it seriously made him doubt his sanity. _'How could I ever fall for someone so dimwitted?!'_

"To think that in half a day you got fat … what are you, a dummy?" He barked.

Wataru's face immediately took on that familiar angry apparel again. "Dum—?!"

Yuichi smoothly went on, over the boy's protesting. "It was tight on you, wasn't it? On me, it was loose on my right middle finger." Kazuki casually flicked out his adorned hand, gazing idly at his ring. "It fit perfectly on my left ring finger, though. My right and left hands have different finger widths."

Kazuki didn't know why he had let this information leak. He hardly knew what he was doing _at all_, anymore. But … a part of him was deathly curious … he wanted to _know_ what Wataru was thinking. What had been in those eyes, when Kazuki had first confronted him? What was in those eyes now, as Wataru looked up at him in shock, wondering at this new information? There was no question—Kazuki _**had**_ to know.

"The … left … ring finger?"

Kazuki's hand withdrew, curling into a fist at his chest. He looked into those mystifying eyes defiantly, as if telling them, _'I'll solve you. I'll figure out what you're hiding.'_

"That's right. In other words, a place that's _worthless_ for the ring to fit. That's why I _had_ to get this ring back. It would've caused a _riot_ if I had to wear it on my ring finger."

What _was_ that damned emotion, dancing around the edges of a bright cobalt, that so eluded him? Kazuki's stubborn pride demanded an answer. And so, eyes narrowing slyly, he added, "And anyway, its _creepy_ being paired up with a guy."

Bingo. Startled defensiveness, angered embarrassment. A cute blush, painting itself across porcelain features. Kazuki was pushing the right buttons.

"W-wha …?! **I feel the same**!!" Wataru snarled defensively.

Kazuki started to turn away. He'd gotten what he came for, and in fact was leaving all the wealthier. For with that blush, that one little reaction mechanism, Wataru had given Kazuki something of far greater value than any dumb ring.

Hope.

"It's mutual then," he stated, smirking cheekily.

Suddenly, he stopped. As he had been turning around, the flash of silver metal had caught his eye, averting his attention to other riddles that demanded answering …

Carefully guarded snowy eyes met blue, for what he felt was the last time. "That ring …"

Wataru followed Kazuki's gaze as it flicked to his ring. " …?"

Kazuki chose his words carefully. All his vigilance would be ruined, if he said even _one_ syllable that hinted at his true feelings. "It's got some years on it, hasn't it?"

Wataru, having been caught off-guard with the turn of the conversation, answered honestly. "Uh, yes. Yes it does. I like it, so I've always worn it."

Kazuki allowed himself to nod. However, he did not notice that his gaze had softened unconsciously … "I thought so. It was so scratched up, I was impressed. I can see it's precious to you."

Wataru Fujii, on the other hand, did not miss it. Eyes wide, he was so taken aback by Yuichi Kazuki's personality flip that words were lost to him. "Um … uh … well …"

Kazuki turned around. There was nothing for him here, any longer. It was time to _let go._

"See ya."

The story of the ring incident spread instantly throughout the school. Everywhere Kazuki went, no matter where he went, people were talking about the sudden appearance of Kazuki's ring, and about the apparent copy worn by another boy.

The rumors put Kazuki on edge, and for those first few weeks of voracious gossiping, he found himself living on a shorter fuse and with less patience than usual—which, after nearly _snapping_ at a young sophomore suitor when she singled him out after class, made him realize that he needed to stick to groups and avoid deserted hallways as if his life—no, his reputation—depended on it.

Which it _did_.

He supposed he should be _grateful_ for his popularity, however, as he witnessed the rumors changing and morphing into something not quite the truth, as they tend to do when spread out among a large group of people. Kazuki silently listened as students were first whispering that 'Kazuki bought the same ring as a junior,' and then that 'Kazuki and some junior boy happen to have the same ring,' to finally 'Kazuki got a ring from a relative and Wataru Fuji in class 3-B bought the same one to be like him.'

But, surprisingly, not once during the whole ordeal did he hide his beloved ring away again—barring the entire student body, the only person he had been intent on keeping the secret from was Wataru, and now that _he_ knew of it … what was there to hide?

This was not to say that there hadn't been any drawbacks … Kazuki realized about two hours after the ring-switching incident that he had definitely gotten himself into a mess.

"Um, hello, Mr. Kazuki! Why, what a pretty ring! You must have gotten it at **Akoy**, right? They have the prettiest things there …"

"No, no! You got it at **Shippou Kobu**, of course! Ms. Ishiwaga is your cousin, isn't she? You must have bought it there! Didn't you, Mr. Kazuki?"

Kazuki swallowed thickly. What had he been thinking, displaying his ring in front of gaggles of younger _girls_?! He could have _easily_ pulled Wataru out of his classroom …

He clasped his hands, slyly covering up his ring so they couldn't get a closer look at it and do exactly what he had done—order themselves a copy.

"Ladies, ladies … please … it was a gift from a relative. All the way from Nagoya. I really can't tell you what store, because I don't know. I'm sorry. I'm sure you all understand."

It wasn't until later, when the rumors and gossiping died down, that Yuichi felt able to breathe again, and returned to his normal, relaxed humor. In fact, as days turned into weeks, Kazuki's life began to return to the way it was _before _the whole ring incident occurred—with the exception of two things: Yuichi Kazuki never once stopped thinking about Wataru Fujii, and he never took off his precious ring again.

○**Time passes …○**

Yuichi Kazuki had never appreciated the Sakura blossoms more, he decided, as he strolled underneath the beautiful pink and white trees one spring morning, on his way to school. Perhaps it was because he was a senior, and the time would soon come where he would not pass under these line of trees any longer … but also, Yuichi mused, pausing in his travels to catch a few petals as they fell like a gentle snowfall from their branches; perhaps it was because certain unmentioned events in his near past had made him more aware and appreciative of the natural beauty around him.

Shortly after, when nearly all the cherry blossoms had fallen, Yuichi started finding presents in his school desk, with attached notes of love-confessions and exulted salutations. He realized with dread that it must be _that_ time of year … the most _hated_ time of year …

His _birthday_.

His parents couldn't understand their son's disdain for the personal holiday. "Our young man is becoming of age, and yet see how he mopes!" His father boomed incredulously over the curried rice one night at supper, nearly flinging his chopsticks as he raised his arms in surrender. "I have never seen a boy so upset to turn eighteen!"

Kazuki exhaled noisily, trying to keep his patience. "Father, I have no qualms about turning eighteen. That aspect I am most looking forward to. It is all the pomp-and-circumstance around my birthday that I find so … distasteful."

His mother chuckled from across the table. "Never have I met another teenager like you, Yuichi, who would hate getting gifts from his admirers! You don't _know_ how many young men must envy you …"

It was true. Yuichi Kazuki hated his birthday because the female population of Ryokuyo High seemed more adamant then ever that he accept their gifts and love confessions—and it was a time where even the shy ones who wouldn't normally single him out get brave enough to slip small gifts in his desk or locker.

However, all that aside …

Kazuki, checking the hallway for family members before closing his door securely, went to his desk and opened his Japanese-to-English dictionary soundlessly to a particular page, uncovering a hidden photo. He picked it up gently, handling it as if it were a millennia-old religious artifact.

There was _one_ person who he wouldn't mind getting a gift from. In fact, Kazuki could think of no better gift in the world than the treasure that would be Wataru Fujii even _acknowledging_ his birthday. A simple "Happy Birthday" from those teasingly beautiful lips would be greater than all the blessings, all the songs and all the sappy greetings from anyone else on earth.

A pale digit traced lightly over the boy in the picture. _'It doesn't matter. Weeks, even months apart from him, I still cannot stop thinking about Wataru,'_ he thought discouragingly, finally finding it within himself to drag his eyes away from the picture and stow it safely away again. _'His face is always there, no matter where I go or what I do …'_

Thankfully, he could never dwell on Wataru for long at school, for whenever he turned around there was always some girl standing there, asking if she could have a moment of his time.

Long, juicy, _boring_ love confession to follow.

And undoubtedly the _worst_ girl in regards to the above was Mai Tachibana, who's repeated appearances in his life (though brief) never failed to make him late for everything and anything that had the misfortune of being after one of their encounters.

Speak of the devil …

"Um … Kazuki-kun? Could you help me with something in Conference Room 2?"

The voice had startled him as he'd been lost in his thoughts, heading to lunch, and upon turning around found Mai Tachibana (nicknamed "the class hottie" by the other boys) standing shyly behind him, twirling a perfectly-layered strand of yellow hair around her finger. Kazuki inwardly groaned.

'_Help with something? How dumb does she think I am? Man, does this girl ever give up? This must be the fourth time …'_

"Sure, Tachibana-san."

_Damn_ his reputation.

And so, he allowed himself to be carted off to the deserted conference room by a cheerful Tachibana. To his slight embarrassment, she didn't close the door behind them, nearly inviting someone to walk in on their little "rendezvous."

He decided, for Tachibana's sake, that he would play along with her. He looked around with a mock-naïve expression painted on his face.

"What do you need my help with? There isn't anything in here."

Tachibana gave a little wink, and stuck out her tongue. "Actually, I was hoping you could unwrap this for me!" And she produced a little package from the inside pocket of her uniform jacket, wrapped with metallic paper and embellished with a ribbon. "Surprise! Happy Birthday!" She held it out to him.

Yuichi swallowed thickly, already regretting allowing himself to get cornered like this. With a false smile and a pathetic recreation of shock in his eyes, he took the gift graciously.

"Thank you Tachibana-san, though you really shouldn't have gotten me a gift. It's too much!"

Tachibana waved her perfectly-manicured hand in a dismissive gesture. "Nonsense. A gift is the perfect way to prove my love for you, Mr. Kazuki!"

As he gently unwrapped the small box, of course taking as long as possible to do so, his eyes caught a shadow of movement at the very edges of his peripheral vision, suddenly and startlingly. Kazuki's eyes darted to the side just in time to see a body dive behind the desk nearest the door, concealing itself efficiently beneath it.

Kazuki's eyes immediately turned back to his gift and Tachibana's awaiting, eager eyes as if nothing had transpired, but on the inside his heart surged with a new adrenaline, beating so loudly he thought Tachibana might hear it and get the wrong message.

What was Wataru Fujii doing here?!

Yuichi Kazuki stared down at the silver circlet in his hand, submerged in sea of crushed velvet and looking quite dazzling, sparkling with the light from the fixtures above. He could barely believe his eyes.

"T-Tachibana-san … it's … wow, you really shouldn't have! This must have cost a small fortune!"

The ring was silver—and from the quality of the shine and the richness of the color, he could tell it was Sterling silver. Inlaid into the precious metal were twisting vines of gold leaf, repeating a very ornate fleur-de-lis pattern. Set into the middle of each fleur-de-lis was a red gemstone, cut in the shape of a heart. It was lovey-dovey, but still retained that bulky masculinity of a gentleman's ring. Over all, a very well-crafted piece of jewelry.

Tachibana blushed, fidgeting on the balls of her feet and pulling strands of her long hair behind her ears. "I wanted to. You mean so much to me; I couldn't just get you a cheap gift! I wanted to do this properly, you see …" she hesitated, unconsciously pulling her bottom lip in to chew on it. With her fair skin and petite bone structure, this usually unattractive habit made her look … cute.

But Yuichi was not taken in by this. Tachibana was pretty, yes … but wasn't his type. She could only be a friend, and nothing more. Besides …

Yuichi's gaze fluttered over to desk by the door, where he knew his real love was hiding, eavesdropping on their little rendezvous. For some reason, it made Kazuki a little mad to think he'd been followed here by Wataru … but also a little excited, too.

"I … I'm in love with you, Kazuki-senpai. I want this to be _our_ ring …" And she lifted her hand in front of her face, high enough so that he could see the matching, feminine version of the ring he held in his hands. _Matching rings_.

Kazuki would have groaned, had the action not been considered rude in this situation. 'Here we go,' he thought, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. 'The expensive gift, check. The love confession, check. The waterworks: on their way.'

Kazuki gently wrapped the ring back up in the velvet covering, and carefully closed the box with a snap. This allowed ample time for his brain to come up with the perfect rejection statement for the situation.

He plastered a regretful look on his face, and said, "I'm sorry, Tachibana-san. I just don't feel the same way. I'm sure you understand." He gently pushed the ring box back into her limp hand. "I cannot accept such an expensive gift. Keep it; save it for the man who will one day take your hand. I don't deserve it."

Clutching the box to her breast, and raising her other fist up to chew on her knuckles, tears started building up in Tachibana's pretty green eyes.

"But … I _love_ you, Kazuki-senpai. Isn't there any chance for me at all?"

Kazuki sighed quietly. "Sorry … but I can't return your feelings, no matter how many times you ask me." At this statement, Tachibana averted her eyes, fighting with the tears that were threatening to breech her defenses. Kazuki quieted his voice into a soothing tenor. "I'm sorry, Tachibana-san … I'm sure you understand."

Tachibana didn't say anything at first; there was complete silence as Yuichi waited for her anxiously to say something, respond … he wouldn't mind if she left all together …

She bowed her head, still not saying a word, and wiped a little at her eyes. Finally, she inhaled sharply and looked him square in the eye. "I understand, Kazuki-sempai. And I'm sure that you understand my feelings for you will never change," she said strongly, raising her head at him in defiance. It was this action that told Kazuki she would be alright.

He smiled. "Of course. I didn't expect them to."

Tachibana tucked the box into her uniform skirt pocket, obviously not wanting to linger on the subject of its rebuttal. She smiled back at him, but he could see it was slightly hollow. "Walk with me to lunch? I feel it's the least you can do, Kazuki-senpai …"

Kazuki let his eyes wander to the corner again, and before he could stop himself another rejection tumbled from his pale lips. "Err … actually; I'm not going there right away. I'm going to linger a bit …"

His eyes snapped back to hers at the tail end of that sentence, already regretting it. His reputation …!!

"Uhh, but I'll sit with you when I get there, okay? Please save me a seat," he quickly amended, hoping it was enough to save him.

It was. Mai Tachibana brightened, and spun on her heels with a bounce in her step. She trotted out the conference room door. "See you in a bit, then!"

And then she was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

As soon as she was gone, Kazuki rounded on the desk by the door, now so excited by Wataru's willing appearance in his life that he had actually force himself to calm down. Reminding himself that Wataru followed him here helped him wipe the smile from his face, rekindling a bit of anger at the petite boy. What right did this kid have to peep in at Yuichi Kazuki?!

Walking over to his secret crush's hiding place, he grabbed the front edge of the desk firmly and leaned over it, staring at a pair of clunky high-top sneakers.

"Hey, what are you doing? Wataru Fujii."

Wataru had obviously not expected to be caught, so suddenly—he yelled out in surprise, and Kazuki could feel as well as hear the boy's head hit the desk as he jumped. It was nearly … comical.

"Owwwww!!" The boy surfaced, clutching the top of his head and wincing at the sting. Kazuki pushed off from the desk and stood straight, watching the boy's antics from a respectable distance. He didn't quite trust himself alone with Wataru, in an otherwise-deserted hallway.

Sweating a little bit at the thoughts that swarmed his head, Kazuki said, "Fancy meeting _you_ here. What're you doing?"

Clutching his large, floral-wrapped package to his chest tightly, Wataru Fujii promptly ignored Kazuki's question and glancing around the room haphazardly, whipping his head so quickly Yuichi thought he might get whiplash. Knowing what the boy was searching for, and being slightly irritated about the lack of attention on himself, he found himself being cruel; dropping any honorifics he would have used otherwise. That it might be a possibility angered Kazuki.

"That _girl_? She's gone back."

And now, time for petty revenge for no apparent reason.

"By the way," Kazuki began, in an off-hand tone, "Carrying that big _package_ makes you look even _smaller_." He drawled, enunciating every syllable so even someone as cloud-headed as Wataru wouldn't miss the dual personality to the comment. Yes, it might have been a bit of flirtation—but it was very, very subtle flirtation, which he doubted any passersby could decipher. He _did_ have his pride to tend to, after all.

Thinking Kazuki was only making fun of his height, Wataru hunched over his "package" defensively, (making himself even smaller; the idiot) and shouted, "You …! _Every time_!"

Speaking of that package … Kazuki was loath to admit it, but it hadn't even registered in his mind until now. What was it? It looked like a … present.

"What were you doing here?" Kazuki couldn't help his wandering eyes, who continually found their way to that box. Curiosity sprung up in him like a cat, and suddenly he wanted to know its exact purpose here, and with Wataru, no less. It … couldn't be … for _him_, could it? No, impossible.

Kazuki's gray irises hardened to the color of steel. He was a fool, letting his heart manipulate his thought processes once again. Nothing good ever came of Yuichi Kazuki when he couldn't think, and his heart had bled over this boy enough.

He would not be led around the thicket on a string by this boy. No, he would set fire to the whole damn forest and _smoke_ the truth out.

"Is peeping a hobby of yours? Or were you following me?" He asked directly, aiming right for the bull's-eye. Wataru was taken aback by his sudden forwardness, still obviously caught up on his previous teasing comment.

"H-hn … N-No way!!" But it was too late; Kazuki had seen him gulp, and the boy obviously knew that Kazuki knew, because he immediately began to flounder around for a valid excuse.

"It's not that, I … I was worried about Tachibana! Yeah, that's it." He didn't meet Kazuki's eye when he said these words, and Kazuki found himself getting steadily more pissed off about the whole situation. First, he was followed here like some criminal suspect, and now he was being lied to?!

"Worried?" He repeated, putting heavy, sarcastic emphasis on the word, daring Wataru to try and continue with his charade. His irritation was reaching new heights when that was exactly what Wataru did.

"My … My friend has a crush on her, so he asked me to check up on her," the pretty boy stuttered, finally raising one eye tentatively to see if his story was being bought.

Kazuki hummed low in his throat, keeping up the appearances of being his usual, unshakable self … but inside his head was buzzing. There it was; that word that had been the true mastermind behind all his anger; the man behind the curtain of his other raisons d'être, controlling his emotions in subtlety: crush.

It was all there, the many parts of a cliché that had been a reckoning force in Yuichi Kazuki's love life, or lack thereof. _'My friend has a crush on you, not me … I know this guy, who has a crush on you …'_ on and on, moving around in a never-ending circle that never went anywhere, forward or back. Kazuki felt stuck now, unable to decipher the true meaning of Wataru's excuse, but not even wanting to decipher it, for what he could discover.

Could … Wataru have been following Tachibana around and not Kazuki himself, because in reality Wataru Fujii had a crush on her? Was that beautifully wrapped box, that _wonderful_ gift, meant for _her_?

Oh, he was SO not eating with her.

Even though he knew he shouldn't be taken in by what was obviously a lie, Kazuki couldn't help it. Even the suggestion of such a thing set him off. He couldn't bear the thought that, while _he_ suffered daily in the fires of his desire for the petite boy, _Wataru_ was pining desperately after someone else.

"It's not like I wanted to witness that," Wataru was saying, barely being comprehended by the frozen Kazuki, who was thinking murderous thoughts indeed. Thoughts that were very out-of-character for him. "And anyway, you may act all _cool_ …"

A terrible mantra struck up in the popular senior's head, bringing him further and further down from the high mantle of role-modeling and gentility he was so used to being on. This dark spiral, leading down to a depth Kazuki had never explored before, spun his emotions completely out of his rigid control, and his features took the fall with him, pulling into the first scowl of unadulterated loathing that had ever touched Yuichi Kazuki's face.

'_All this time, I warned myself of my feelings. Wataru Fujii would never learn to love another man, no matter how much the other man loved him, I said. I could never be his one, and he would never be mine. But still, like the fool I am, I hung onto this false, idiotic sense of hope; hope that one day Wataru would see me more than just a distant figurehead of all he should be and isn't … but as a friend, someone who is approachable, someone he could learn to love …'_

"… But inside, aren't you regretting it just a little … bit …?" Wataru had looked up from his haughty air to notice Kazuki's fierce expression, the sight of which instantly clammed him up. His arm fell to his side, and so to the package with it … and then Wataru, adopting a sour look of his own, lost himself to his own thoughts.

Kazuki's blood boiled at the unfairness of it all. What had Tachibana ever done to deserve Wataru's attention? What had _any_ girl done to deserve him? Being too stubborn to ask himself the same question, despite it being quite applicable to their situation, Kazuki instead drowned in self-hatred, wondering why he should continue to be so kind to the female gender when they were robbing him of the truest love he had ever felt. He clenched his fists, staring hard at Wataru's face, suppressing a wince at the pang of longing that cut another hole in his heart.

Why did he have to be the only one to suffer like this?

But yet, after a few moments of gazing at Wataru, the boy's irritated face suddenly registered in Kazuki's foggy mind, and it was like a lighthouse lamp cutting through the darkness—he snapped to himself, realizing the extent his emotions had run away with him, and he felt, frankly, ashamed of himself.

_'What … am I doing?'_

Shaking his head, Kazuki put a neutral face on once again, a face that was untroubled by anything in the world, and leaned slightly towards the smaller, zoned-out boy. He brought a fist forward to rap sharply on the boy's forehead.

"Hey. What are you looking so sour about?" In truth, it annoyed Kazuki a little that Wataru could stand there looking so sour when the black-haired boy was in fact causing so much emotional agony in the senior's psyche. It didn't feel fair, if he was being honest with himself.

Kazuki could see the glaze lift of the other's blue eyes, and braced himself for the moment when those tantalizing sapphires would return his gaze. But to Kazuki's slight surprise, they did not. Still looking at the floor, Wataru began, "Sure, I'm … I'm not some cute girl … and _sure_ it cramps your style to wear the same ring as me!"

Kazuki flinched ever so slightly, wondering where on earth this outburst was coming from. So unexpected, so incomprehensible, and certainly not the words Kazuki had been expecting, not even _remotely_. His confusion was such that he could not hold it back.

"Huh? What's gotten into you?"

Wataru spun around violently on his heels, and started stomping towards the door. "Nothing! I'm leaving!!"

Kazuki's head was spinning. So fast …! Everything was happening too fast, and Kazuki panicked, still unable to decipher what the boy had been yelling about. What had he been getting at by mentioning he wasn't a 'cute girl'? Where had it come from? What was that hateful emotion now pouring out of Wataru's throat, surrounding Kazuki and making his dizziness much more chaotic? _Was that jealously?!_

Kazuki was lost, hopeful, desperate, and without a cohesive mind. And so, running purely on instinct, on the desire to understand everything in that loud declaration and understand it _now_, Kazuki's hand reached out to stop the younger boy from leaving by clamping a firm hand around a small, lean bicep.

He had to see those eyes. That voice, that body, and those emotions were not enough to confirm anything, and were only adding to the mystery. But those open, sparkling cobalt eyes would reveal everything to him, Kazuki was sure!

He had to see the jealousy in those eyes for himself. _He had to see it for himself!_ He craved the view, and his heart beat erratically in anticipation of receiving it.

His hand was thrown off as Wataru viciously yanked his arm away, and in the process, Wataru and Kazuki's gaze met for a split second.

Kazuki's eyes were wide and searching, an expectant look on his face as he took the opportunity this stolen glance gave him to sift through the emotions in those stark depths, desperately searching for the one that would mean the renewal of his hope and a regained confidence in himself that would rival the personality he'd had before: Yuichi Kazuki; unshakeable, victorious in all battles of life, a man's man.

Wataru stared mutely back, unable to respond to such a soul-searching gaze.

For the second time that day, Kazuki let his features fall into that of anger and frustration, glaring with actual hatred towards the younger boy. _Not there_ … nowhere in those eyes had he found what he had been desperately looking for. He had been _sure _…! But no, of course not. He had played the fool once again, bearing hope obstinately in the face of impossibility: and it had been, per usual, torn to pieces.

And it was all Wataru Fujii's fault.

Unable to repress the wave of bitterness and derisiveness that washed over him at the sight of Wataru's dumbstruck face, Kazuki could not stop himself before he said, and with _contempt,_ "Don't ever follow me again."

Wataru nearly took a step back at that tone, clearly confused by Kazuki's mood changes and intimidated by the senior's rough words. "I wasn't … I told you, it was Tachibana …"

If he heard that name coming from Wataru's mouth one more time, he didn't know what he would do to the said girl. He just knew it wouldn't be very pretty. And Wataru himself …! He cursed the day he ever became so smitten with that dumb boy as to completely make a fool of himself in his presence, repeatedly.

"You suck at lying," Kazuki hissed harshly, narrowing his eyes further into a deeper glare. It was worth it, to see Wataru's eyes widen in shock.

_'Yes, it's about time you got a little bit of your tongue back,'_ Kazuki thought, reveling in this newfound cruelty. His anger was completely suppressing his gentlemanly tendencies, and he didn't mind one bit.

To prove it to himself, he splayed one hand across Fujii's left shoulder, and pushed. "Go," he commanded, closing the monosyllabic word with as much finality as he could muster, leaving no room for any other form of conversation or protest.

Wataru took one last look at Kazuki, a troubled and slightly wounded look in his eye, and then turned on his heel and walked out soundlessly.

Kazuki nearly got out of this situation with his sanity. The anger helped to override everything else, and he was grateful for it. The dull pain in his heart that he had grown accustomed to having finally left him, and he was _so_ relieved that he wanted to be angry forever; to never imagine that he'd liked the shorter boy even remotely.

And he nearly had his wish come true, had not Wataru Fujii spoke dully as he passed over the threshold, sounding so accusatory and hurt that Kazuki's anger shattered on the spot, leaving him his shame and all-too-familiar pain once again.

"What did I ever do to you …?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Note to self: Don't make promises you can't keep.**

* * *

It was lunch break in classroom 4-A, and pandemonium had erupted within the room the moment the bell had rung. They had just had a particularly hair-wrenching lecture from an ignoramus who called himself a physics teacher, and the students were eager to expend a bit of pent-up energy. Girls gathered in little groups to gossip, and boys were limited to pairs and trios, discussing girls.

Yuichi Kazuki remained at his desk, making no move to get out his lunch. He simply sat there, both arms resting on the desk, staring at his notebook as to give the impression of studying—but really, he was just staring into space.

He couldn't eat. He could never eat when he was upset; his stomach always got a little sensitive when he was in a poor mood. He hadn't eaten last night or this morning, either—the events of yesterday afternoon were far too fresh in his mind. In particular, his choice of words.

'_Don't ever follow me again'? 'You suck at lying'?_ Going as far as to bodily _shove_ Wataru out the door? He had never so much as laid a _finger_ on anyone in anger before! He was friendly with everyone he met, but there was always an underlying coolness that remained, no matter how "friendly" he became.

But now the ground was shifting beneath his feet, rocking him to his very core. The seventeen-year-old foundations on which his entire being had been fashioned were cracking, leaving the persona of Yuichi Kazuki to fall to the ground, piece by piece. He was becoming someone else; someone he'd always see in the mirror but never associate with himself; a stranger with his face. Wataru was destroying his mask, chipping away at all the plating in its golden glory, revealing the wooden composition beneath that shone with a different kind of glory. A rotting, festering glory. All the negative aspects of his personality that had been repressed for years, finally rearing their ugly heads. Bit by bit, Wataru was bringing out a completely different person in himself, and he wasn't sure who he really was anymore.

A sudden shadow fell across his desk, blocking out the florescent ceiling lights and startling him. He looked up into the sly, smirking face of Satoru, and was officially concerned. "What …?"

Without taking his mirthful eyes off Yuichi, Satoru pointed a lazy finger towards the door of the classroom. "There's a boy with a big lovely _package_ outside the classroom, calling on you … you know, that boy from the picture. I didn't think you could get any more popular, but if _guys_ are now throwing themselves at your feet, I'd say you've reached an all-time high," he drawled, stuffing a hand in his pocket casually. "Now the only question remains is … are you going to go 'examine' his 'package?'" Satoru finished, with a chuckle that was echoed by a few boys who had been listening.

Kazuki felt his teeth clench, a familiar anger taking over his senses once again. Was this Wataru's revenge for his cruel words yesterday? Making a fool out of him in front of his entire class? The tips of his ears flushed slightly red as the laughter grew louder and Satoru continued to make inappropriate (but unbeknownst to him, accurate) jokes about packages and what-not, and it made all the sorrow and regret he'd been feeling not two seconds ago vanish completely.

Hard silver eyes traveled to the opposite side of the room, zeroing in on a small figure lingering near the threshold. He saw Wataru flinch at his glare, and felt justified satisfaction at the reflex. How dare Wataru openly mock him? He found himself getting up, heading towards the brown-haired boy with deadly intent; a cobra cornering a small, twitching rodent.

"You again? What do you want _now_?" Kazuki spat, albeit quietly, so as to retain a certain amount of privacy between them. His classmates had already heard enough.

Wataru seemed like he wanted to snap at Yuichi's rudeness, but he settled to just huff softly and say, "I … can't talk here … will you come upstairs?"

Kazuki anger turned to surprise. Upstairs …? What on earth could he possibly want to do on the roof?

Suddenly very aware of the eyes of his classmates on his back and desperate to escape them, Kazuki hurriedly assented to Wataru's request, though he was still uncertain as to the boy's motives. And that floral package … seriously, what was that all about? Didn't Wataru realize that it made him seem so … small? He nearly wanted to chuckle at the pun, _nearly_. But the joke was in bad taste, so he resisted.

Wataru didn't speak a word to him on their way up to the roof, and that gave Kazuki some time to think about this situation. He was a bit disoriented—being in the junior boy's presence was always an emotional roller coaster for Yuichi, and the rapid succession with which his mood shifted made him slightly dizzy. Right now he wasn't feeling angry anymore so much as fearful—fearful that whatever Wataru had to tell him, he wasn't going to like it. Fearful about the contents and purpose of the package. Fearful that the package had no significance whatsoever …

Eyes of the lightest hue gazed at the said box once again, shining with an almost envious glow. He couldn't forget that his birthday was coming up … how could he forget, when he got at least three presents a day? But none of those gifts, given by girls whose names he didn't even know, mattered. That package, on the other hand …

He'd had this fantasy over and over. Wataru, a shy blush dusting his alabaster cheeks, holding out a beautifully wrapped box in some isolated corridor, eyes lowered underneath long, fanning eyelashes. 'I hope you don't think this is weird,' he'd mumble cutely, and flush a deeper red. 'But I … I really felt a connection when we met at the water fountain. I think we should … get involved.' And Yuichi would accept the gift whole-heartedly, and then he and Wataru would share a passionate embrace, and then …

Yuichi shook his head lightly, getting inappropriate thoughts out of his head. Now was not the time to daydream; not when Wataru was right in front of him, wanting to meet with him privately, holding a gift that could potentially make his fantasies come true. His mood suddenly brightened considerably. Yes, they just may very well come true today …!

'_He … he came back … even after all that I said to him yesterday … those horrible things …'_

He couldn't help but smile as he ascended the stairs behind a trudging Wataru, playing with his precious ring in anticipation. Yes, perhaps things weren't so bad, after all …

When at last the door to the roof opened and both boys had walked into the sunlight, Kazuki was feeling giddy, and more than a bit childish.

"Well, well, the mighty gift bearer," he trumpeted, glinting silver eyes roving the said package appraisingly. "The floral gift wrapping is a nice, feminine touch, but strangely enough it suits you, doesn't it?"

As expected, Wataru bristled and whipped around angrily. "What?!"

Kazuki decided that if he was going to tease Wataru the entire time, he should be conniving about it and get some valuable information at the same time.

"You've been roaming around with that thing for quite a while now, haven't you?" He tossed out casually, a hand automatically raising to brush his bangs out of his eyes. It was a rather windy day. "You sure you aren't … **funny** that way?"

"Wha?! I'm just—!!"

Wataru cut himself off, and his gaze lowered for a millisecond. It was just enough time for another theory about that package enter Kazuki's mind. His good spirits dampened somewhat, and he felt his eyes becoming steely again in irritation. To avoid a terrible repeat of yesterday afternoon's cruel banter, Kazuki glanced off to the right, avoiding Wataru's gaze.

"What? Is there someone in the senior class you want to give it to? Do you want me to deliver it for you?"

Kazuki could feel his expression getting even cooler—if it turned out that Wataru was after some girl in his class, and then there would be _another_ person who would join Tachibana in the new list of girls he'd scorn. In which case he had no intention of delivering that package anywhere except the nearest trash bin.

Wataru looked surprised at the offer. "Wh-what changed your tune?"

Kazuki moved his hair aside with an almost regal air, hoping the action would distract from his flaring temper. Wataru hadn't denied his offer, and in fact seemed to be confirming it with his surprise, as if he hadn't really expected Kazuki to cooperate with him.

With restrained sarcasm, Kazuki replied, "Huh? Haven't you heard? I'm a nice guy. Never heard my rep?"

Wataru's head meandered to the left, and he stared angrily at the ground. Harsh words came out of his mouth then, making Kazuki flinch imperceptivity, as if burned. "I forgot about **that** the minute I met you …"

Quite suddenly, Kazuki was startled to receive a blow to the stomach, and for one horrible moment he believed Wataru had actually struck him. Just when he was convinced things couldn't get any worse between them … he looked down at the affected area, positive he would be met with a clenched fist—but was met with a large, floral package instead. He blinked.

"… **Here**. It's your birthday soon, right? So accept it gratefully." Wataru couldn't very well thrust the package at him again, since it still rested on Kazuki's stomach, so the petite boy just settled for keeping the pressure up, pushing the package flat on the senior's torso.

Kazuki's entire world came to a violent standstill as his heart clenched painfully tight in his chest and his gray eyes grew impossibly wide. He couldn't control the sweeping emotions that surged through his veins, threatening to carry him away and drown him. He openly gaped at Wataru, unable to mask his complete and utter shock, and let out an incredulous, "What …?"

Was … was this really happening? Searching hands found the gift being offered to him and took it up gently, reverently, looking down upon it not unlike a religious man would look down upon a holy relic. "For … me?"

Kazuki was at a complete and utter loss._ 'I … I don't know what to do …'_

Confused, happy, unbelieving, and torn between fainting and jumping Wataru, Kazuki could only stand there, frozen, staring at the package with such raw emotion, such utter adoration that he felt the windows of his eyes open up and express everything he'd felt over the past few months.

This led to a terrible anxiety, rising up with the rest of the emotions, but overpowering them, putting a damper on their purity. What if Wataru saw through his cracked wall and found out how Kazuki felt about him? Or worse—what if this wasn't real? What if this was just another dream, his mind desperate to supply him with the reality he so craved? He had half a mind to pinch himself, but resisted in front of Wataru. The boy was staring at him awkwardly, obviously expecting some sort of response. But Kazuki didn't trust his tongue enough to speak unaffectedly (it was too thick in his mouth to make any kind of sound anyway) so he just kept his gaze affixed to the gift, this wonderful, beautiful gift, and waited for his crush to say something. And he hoped to god that, whatever confession Wataru would make, he could keep himself and his flaming passion in check afterwards.

"Umm ... so respond to that promptly, will you? There's a letter inside."

Kazuki could see the boy sweat, even as he tried to look cool by placing his hand in his pocket and adopting a slouched posture. It wasn't the confession Kazuki was looking for, but he figured that whatever Wataru wanted to tell him, it would be in the letter. Though he _was_ rather surprised at this decision on Wataru's part … from what he knew of the boy's fiery personality, a letter would seem too cowardly and feminine for his tastes.

"A letter? Is that in your character?" Every new piece of information about Wataru Fujii was like a singular puzzle piece; weighed, studied, and fitted into it's proper place with other pieces until a larger picture was formed.

Wataru's expression fell into an embarrassed scowl. "D-don't ask me, just read it and see," he said, and Kazuki had to hold back a smile. Wataru was being shy about the whole thing, and Kazuki found it absolutely adorable. "I'm just..."

The senior swiftly interrupted, saving Wataru from a forced confession, right then and there. He didn't want to push the sienna-haired boy too far, only to scare him away. "I got it. I should just read the letter." He stared at Wataru with half-lidded eyes, wanting to commit the sight of the boy, cheeks slightly pink and his hair mussed by the wind, in his memory forever. If the letter entailed what he hoped it entailed, this day could be considered the best in his life.

Suddenly, before the senior's very eyes, Wataru started up and his cheeks flushed a heavy crimson. "W-wait! Don't get the wrong idea! Th-that's **not** from me!"

And just like that, with those simple shouted words acting as a catalyst, the fragile paradise that had formed in the infamous senior's mind shattered, and the entire world seemed to fall at his feet.

It wasn't real. It had never been real. He had, once again, made a fool of himself. _God_ knows how he kept his composure.

"I was just asked to give that to you by some girl who goes to my kid sister's school, so..."

"Oh, I get it." The words were surprisingly casual, despite the fact that Kazuki's heart had fallen into his stomach and was slowly facing death by digestion. He put a hand on his chin in what was supposed to appear as an introspective gesture, but really was only there to keep his jaw from trembling. No, he didn't want this. He didn't want to hear a tangible rejection. He didn't want to taste, smell, feel, let alone even _hear_ the denial in Wataru's voice, so he'd quickly smothered it with his own.

How could this happen? Why was he being tortured in this way? Wasn't it enough that he had to pine for a romance that could never be realized? Somehow, every vision he _had_ of the dark-haired junior came to pass—except for the fact that it always worked out in the exact _opposite_ way of his visions!

Wataru, giving the senior a gift just because he had a _sister_ ...

Tch, why were girls now constantly getting in his way? And did Wataru even know what he was doing to Kazuki? Did he know _anything_ about Yuichi Kazuki at all?

"You..." Kazuki couldn't help the accusation in his voice; he only hoped that it was too subtle to catch. "Do **you** know when my birthday is?"

Wataru was quick to answer. "J-June the seventh …" Though he sounded utterly confused at Kazuki's malleable emotions, the fact that he had replied so confidently made Kazuki smile, though the trace of melancholy could be found in the corners of the senior's turbulent eyes.

"Bingo. Good for you."

And then, something unexpected happened; something that took both Kazuki and Wataru by surprise. It was a feeling, welling up from the pits of his stomach, something far different than the usual instability of emotions he felt around Wataru. It was a fresh, new resolve, and it gave Kazuki long-needed solidity in the turbulent oceans of his psyche.

Kazuki would wrack his brain about it later, trying to figure out where the sudden confidence had come from, steadily fueling his actions like an engine. Was it the way their eyes had met, or the stubbornness Kazuki was known for when it came to potentially losing? Whatever it was, it caused Kazuki to move forward, tucking the package under an arm loosely, a predatory gleam in his eye.

He backed Wataru into the wall, securing his dominance over the smaller boy by splaying his hand flat on the brick right beside that dark head of hair and leaning in close, using his height advantage to intimidate.

Wataru looked up through his dark bangs, meeting Kazuki's gaze head-on, though he was bristling like a cornered cat. Time stood still and Kazuki let it, taking his time in observing the cherubic face of his dreams up close. Fascinated, he watched a bead of sweat slide down Wataru's porcelain cheek.

But this strange, unexplainable mood that had taken him over would not let the stasis between the pair remain for long. Inspired, he leaned even closer and whispered, "Thanks for the special delivery." He delighted in the widening of cerulean eyes. "But," he said louder, leaning back a bit, "You sure are a pushover. Wasting your lunch hour, running errands for a girl you don't even know … you must really be **bored**."

Kazuki decided, upon watching the dark-haired boy flush in anger, that he really enjoyed teasing him. That blush of color on otherwise pale cheeks was immensely attractive, and gave Kazuki a sense of thrill for being able to evoke such passion in those gemstone eyes, even passion through anger.

"What…! I just … promised my sister that—" Wataru began angrily, but was swiftly interrupted as Kazuki took the opportunity to tease him some more.

"What if it's actually _your_ little sister?"

Wataru's eyes narrowed, somewhat seeing where this was going and not liking it one bit. "What …?"

"What if she's only _saying_ it's a friend of hers, but in reality it's _she_ who has the hots for me?" The senior suggested casually, and was surprised when Wataru actually growled softly, a pleasant rumbling reverberating in Kazuki's ear.

"Mrrrrrrgg…"

Kazuki wanted to laugh. "I didn't know you had a sister complex, kid," he goaded. He had to lean back when Wataru shouted back in his ear.

"**Shut up! **And don't call me a kid!"

"Then what _should_ I call you?"

This question seemed to take Wataru off-guard. To be honest, Kazuki wasn't all that sure why he'd asked it. Technically, they had already been introduced (well, Wataru had shouted his name at the senior in the 3rd floor hallway, at any rate) and, based on the rocky, less-than-pleasant relationship they shared, it was obvious that Kazuki should call him Fujii-kohai, or simply Fujii. But … it was so _impersonal_, something Kazuki didn't like at all. When thinking about the sienna-haired junior, he always referred to him as "Wataru" … he didn't think he could get used to calling the boy anything other than that.

"W-well," Wataru began unsurely, looking thoughtful for a second. The look was undoubtedly cute. "Umm, something like 'Junior Fujii,' or—"

The thought was ridiculous. Kazuki let him know by interrupting him with disdain. "**Junior **Fujii?"

Realizing how dumb that sounded when spoken by another, Wataru flushed a little and amended, "No—well, never mind the 'junior' part … if not that, then maybe …?"

Kazuki stopped listening to Wataru's floundering, instead leaning in closer and observing intimate details of the younger man's face. As he took in the dark blue eyes, like deep sapphires, positively glittering in the noon-day light; the hair that reminded him of sweet spices, of cinnamon and nutmeg and ginger—he thought to himself, _no_. Absolutely not. Nothing but this heavenly creature's true name would suffice for Kazuki. Only 'Wataru' would do.

"How about … Wataru?" There were no inquisitive inflections: this had been a statement overcome with finality. He might as well have said, "I'm going to call you Wataru whether you like it or not."

Kazuki was overcome. By the softness of the day, the softness of pure alabaster skin laid out before him, the softness of _Wataru_ … the hand that had been on the wall beside the junior's head scraped down the brown brick until it finally came to fall on Wataru's shoulder, gripping gently. He started pulling forward slowly, and red flags and loud sirens started going off in his brain, warning him of his intentions, pleading for Kazuki's heart to stop and _think_ about what he was doing—but the red of the warnings seemed to pale in comparison to those red rosy lips, juicy and slightly-parted before him, breathless …

He finished his scoop, placing his mouth right by the shell of Wataru's ear. "Wataru," he whispered, exhaling over the sensitive flesh. His stupor was shaken slightly when Wataru bowed his head, closing his eyes tightly as his entire body convulsed spastically. Startled, Kazuki leaned back and said louder, "Wataru?"

Seeing the petite boy's face stained scarlet … still feeling small tremors wracking the junior's body—what were these things telling him about Wataru? Even _entertaining_ the idea that Wataru was … _aroused_ … Kazuki wanted to flush himself at the notion. It couldn't be true, could it? This was Kazuki's heart again, interpreting situations the wrong way, just to get some permanence to them.

He wanted to see Wataru's eyes! He felt like he _had_ to … Wataru was, in a way, so innocent, so unguarded … his wide, young eyes told so many stories, and Kazuki felt that the text of the past couple of seconds would be churning in blue depths for him to discover. Hesitantly, almost shyly, Kazuki hooked a finger under Wataru's angular chin, increasing pressure so as to get the boy to look at him.

All of a sudden, Wataru's limp body sprang into action; with the reflexes of a coiled cobra, Wataru scrambled up as best he could (seeing as he was still against the brick wall), and slapped Kazuki's hand away. "C-cut it out!!" He shouted.

At the same time as Wataru violently struck, Kazuki snatched his hand back, feeling oh-so-suddenly like a cat caught with its paws in the fishbowl. He back-peddled, giving Wataru space as his mind quickly decided on a way to pass this moment off as nothing even closely resembling what it really had been—a stolen moment of one-sided romance.

He would play innocent.

"What…?" Kazuki drawled, sounding vaguely startled. How much of that was an act, though? "All I did was say your name."

Wataru ignored the straw-haired senior, giving him an odd look somewhere between shock and suspicion. "Just now … what were you …?"

Kazuki shrugged nonchalantly, interrupting. "You suddenly clammed up. I just wanted to see how you would react. What, did you think I was going to **kiss** you or something?"

Wataru looked weirded out. "I … I didn't say that." Oh god. Mouth, what are you saying?! He was officially babbling now. Wataru didn't need to hear that … did he look as jumpy as he felt?

When in doubt of his masculinity, Kazuki fell back on his usual strategy: tease the hell out of Wataru. "Hm. Even though you're blushing? What happened to your attitude, Wataru?"

Wataru showed the senior _exactly_ what had happened to his attitude. _Nothing._ "Don't get **familiar** with me!"

What a mess this had turned out to be! As per usual … why couldn't anything every go smoothly when it came to talking to Wataru? Kazuki was suddenly reminded that this whole disaster started with some stupid girl, the one who had asked Wataru Fujii _of all people_ to deliver her gift to him.

He didn't want it. Untucking the floral package from under his arm, he said, "You complain too much. Besides … you're the one that's being overly familiar with a senior like me."

Feeling the need to escape, Kazuki pushed the package into a bewildered Wataru's arms, and immediately headed for the roof door. "So long."

"W-What?! **Hey!** This…!" Wataru shouted to his retreating back, and as per usual, Kazuki couldn't help being drawn in by the boy's attention. His eyes flickered to that loathsome package, the one in the hands of his beloved, given to him by his beloved, but from some nameless _nobody_. He knew he couldn't accept it, even though his conscience was telling him it was wrong not to do so. How could he take a gift from those slender hands which he adored, knowing they bore the gift of another? How could he possibly handle Wataru's impersonal role as a go-between? He felt himself get mean.

"Sorry, but it's too bulky. I can't accept it. Return it to the sender, please." He wanted to add, _'And tell her to grow a backbone and give people her own damn gifts.'_

Wataru looked stricken. "I _can't_ do that! Aren't you supposed to accept gifts from _everyone?_"

Kazuki considered the question. "Well … It's at least true that I don't play favorites."

"Then **why**?!"

Kazuki's gray eyes turned to steel, cold and biting. He was looking at Wataru, but wasn't really seeing him … instead, in his mind, he saw a small, pathetic little girl, a stupid _blonde_, holding a floral package and asking Wataru Fujii, giggling obnoxiously, to 'please deliver this to Kazuki-sempai!' Asking the _one person_ … the only person Kazuki had ever …

How _dare_ she?! How could anyone have the gall to … to torment Kazuki like this? He hated her. He didn't even know what she looked like, and he hated her with all the passion he possessed. He wanted to _hurt_ her. The thought of actually doing so was simultaneously satisfying and terrifying.

"Why? Because **you** were the one who brought it." Painting an ironic grin on his face, one he was sure Wataru wouldn't get, he called out more casually, "Oh, and about that _name_ thing: you can call me 'Sir Kazuki.'"

Turning on his heels, Kazuki took three large steps and was out the door before Wataru even had the chance to react.

_Wataru…_


	8. Chapter 8

**:D :D YAY I'M NOT DEAD :D :D**

* * *

The rest of the afternoon turned out to be just perfect—the clouds had parted, the winds died down, and the sun shown gloriously down on Ryokuyo high … it made all the students a little restless, wanting to go outside and enjoy the warm weather.

Yuichi Kazuki himself found it nearly impossible to concentrate on the last few lectures of the day, but for completely different reasons than the other students.

After leaving Wataru standing stock-still on the roof, Kazuki had gone directly to the student council room to blow off some steam, before he ran into some hapless girl and said something he regretted—steam from anger, steam from jealousy, and steam from that weird, passionate moment between them that he really should _stop_ thinking about …

After pacing the perimeter of the room spasmodically for twenty minutes, his body began to cool down, and he felt stable enough to take a seat at the table. He rested his arms on the tabletop, losing himself to musings as he fiddled with his precious ring.

Kazuki was calm now, but he wasn't sure if that's what he preferred—without the constant rush of emotions he felt hollow and empty, drained of life … He felt so _lost. _In moments like these, he wondered if it'd been better for everyone if he'd left the ring alone, that fateful afternoon in the junior wing. Better if this unrequited love affair hadn't ever started.

The tall senior sighed. It was too easy to get him upset, these days.

Around this point, Kazuki's thoughts were blessedly curtailed as there were sounds of the council room door being unlocked from the other side; Kazuki swiftly stood as a handful of students shuffled in, led by a pig-tailed girl wearing square glasses.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, upon noticing him. "Y-Yuichi Kazuki-sempai!" Some of the other kids behind her craned their necks to see the infamous senior with bright curiosity in their eyes.

Kazuki was in no mood to be a sideshow attraction today. He pushed in the chair and said, "I'm sorry if I'm disrupting something. I was just leaving, so the room is yours."

Without another glance to the stuttering girl or her slack-jawed groupies, Kazuki gently pushed his way out the door and headed back to class (late, though he had nowhere else to go anyway, and he would _not_ be seen cutting class).

A hasty apology to the teacher later and he was back at his desk, paying no attention to the lecture and picking up his thoughts right where he left them.

Any way he looked at it, the problem at hand was where to go from here. Leaving the topic of Wataru aside, (though it was far from easy,) he _did_ just reject a perfectly innocent-ish package from a girl who had _technically_ done him no wrong—if Wataru was seen by any of his classmates still holding that box, Kazuki's uncharacteristic spurning would be all over the school faster than he could say 'gossip.'

Even though he would rather not care about his reputation, and only care that that package had hurt his own personal feelings—his insides still swirled uncomfortably at the thought. After striving for perfection for so long, even mild failure can leave a bad aftertaste.

But what could he do to fix the damage he had caused? Go after Wataru and take the gift from him anyway? _Absolutely not_. He wouldn't go traipsing after that infuriating kid with his tail between his legs, like some attention-starved puppy dog. If anything, Wataru should be crawling back to _him_, on his belly, thoroughly apologetic. Yuichi remained convinced this was all his fault anyway.

But that wouldn't happen either, would it? The kid was just about as stubborn as Kazuki himself was. There wouldn't be a second take to this scene. No, he'd have to go straight to the source—he'd have to make an effort to find the girl who belonged to that gift, and make things right with her. Make things right, as in reject the _hell_ out of her—after opening the box and taking the contents. Why not have his cake and eat it, too?

What had Wataru said? '_I was just asked to give that to you by some girl who goes to my kid sister's school, so...'_

It looks like he would be paying little Miss Fujii a visit. Now the only thing that remained was finding out exactly _where_ he would go to visit. There had to be dozens of junior high schools in the city. How would he find out which one belonged to Wataru's sister…?

His quick mind immediately recalled the incident, seemingly years ago now, when he had taken Wataru's ring back to him. There had been a ginger then … obviously a friend of the boy's … stupid as they come, but he should at least know where his best friend's sister goes, right?

But if there was one thing Kazuki was sure about, it was that Wataru _could not _be there when he asked—like _hell_ he would see Kazuki swallowing his pride for anything. But it would be easy enough for Kazuki to just lurk in the stairwell by the junior classrooms until Wataru had left for the day, leaving Kazuki to ask whomever was left nearby for the information he wanted.

The chime sounded; class was over. As Kazuki gathered his materials together, he decided he would do this when school ended today, banking on the fact that Wataru would leave as soon as possible so as not to be caught sight still carrying that floral package. Wataru was just as prideful a creature as Yuichi … he knew that parading around with that thing must be _killing_ the younger boy.

A pang in his heart warded him away from the subject. Besides, there was something else more important to figure out at the moment: which class had this been again …?

○ **After the Last Bell **○

As was the plan, Yuichi Kazuki now found himself facing the door to the junior wing, listening to the background hustle and bustle of a student population excited about socializing and leaving for the brighter skies and pleasant weather of the late afternoon. It had taken the senior much longer than he'd intended to get down here, since he'd had trouble once again with people wanting to walk home with him and talk to him and blah, blah, blah …

He didn't waste any time trying to be a detective and snoop about for Wataru … he almost certainly had headed home by now, hugging that floral box and making a run for it. The mental picture almost would've made him chuckle, if it didn't hurt so damn bad.

Confidently, he strode four doors down from the stairwell into Wataru's classroom, greeted by the sight of only a handful of students left within. To his relief, among those was the ginger-haired boy. He was leaning on the desk, idiotically flexing his muscles for a gaggle of girls nearby.

"So you see, ladies? These guns are always locked and … load—ded?" Kawamura blanked out as he spotted Yuichi Kazuki walking towards him, his expression wrought with purpose. The senior ignored the girls as they began to freak out at his presence. He focused solely on his love interest's best friend.

"K-Kazuki-sempai? Uh, what are you doing here?" He seemed to pull himself together a little bit further, but couldn't meet the senior's gaze straight-on. "If you're looking for … Wataru Fujii, then he's not here."

Kazuki internally winced. Were his escapades with Wataru already so well known that it was automatically assumed he'd have no other purpose down here than to seek him out? _Damn_, that kind of made him feel pathetic. He really was hopeless…

"I am not here about Fujii-_kohai_. Rather, this is about his sister …"

The entire group of girls gasped and started whispering furiously to each other. Kawamura himself looked immensely surprised. "K-Karin?"

Kazuki took it as a good sign that he knew the sister's name. "Can you tell me where she goes to school?"

"Uh, y-yeah. It's further into the city, north of the city center. It's called Ushigome Junior High … there's a big white gate out front. You can't miss it."

Kazuki nodded his head graciously. "Thank you." He was intending to leave, but before he could turn away the redhead finally looked Kazuki straight in the eyes, a shy, curious look about his face.

"Can I ask why you want to know?"

Kazuki snuck a glance towards the females, and felt confident that they were too busy gossiping to hear his response. He didn't mean this boy any ill will, naturally, and it was normally out-of-the-question to be rude to another person … but, _really_, there was only so much Kazuki could take in one day!

"No," he replied, and turned on his heel, leaving a gaping Kawamura behind him.


	9. Library: A

After Yuichi left Wataru Fujii's classroom, he headed straight for the school gate, intent on going home for the afternoon. Fujii Karin's school would have let out a while ago, so there was no point in going to Ushigome today.

He would go tomorrow, and quickly put this whole, devastating package ordeal behind him. Plus, especially since he was still filled with so much anger, he was looking forward to finding this cowardly girl and _rejecting _her—it was the first time he'd ever felt like making a girl cry.

The more rational side of him tried to remind him that wasn't her fault—how could she have known that asking Wataru Fujii to deliver a present had been the worst decision ever? He was a convenient go-between, the brother of her friend Karin.

Kazuki sighed. God, he just wanted to forget _everything_ … the package, the girl, Wataru himself … he'd take the stress of _three_ college entrance exams over this _any_ day.

_**BEEP BEEP BEEP!**_

Kazuki jumped when his phone started vibrating and beeping in his pocket. "Oh, geez," he breathed, digging his phone out. He'd been way too distracted, lately.

He watched the multi-colored stars shoot across the front screen of his phone for a second before flipping it open. "Hello?"

"Hi Yuichi! It's Satoru. Listen—I'm sorry man, but I have a _huge_ favor to ask you! And I reallyneed you to say 'yes,' okay?"

Kazuki rubbed his face tiredly. "Are you serious? What is it this time, Satoru?"

Satoru replied soberly, "Kanno Otogi's grandmother just passed away yesterday, and the funeral is tomorrow afternoon—which mean's we're a guy short for our practice game against Kaisei High's basketball squad. I don't know who else I could ask this short notice, Yuichi. I'm sorry to put this on you, I really am, but the Ryokuyo team needs you! Please do it!"

Kazuki's expression became pained. "You want me to be a reliever tomorrow? Satoru, it's been _ages_ since I've played the game! And anyway, I have … err, academic responsibilities tomorrow afternoon!" Not _exactly_ true, since fixing his reputation had nothing to do with academics. But close enough.

Satoru huffed. "Look, it's just a scrimmage—it doesn't count for league rank. And, anyway, I _know_ how well you can play! You're probably better than anyone else on the team, so just do it! Please?"

For the billionth time in his life, Yuichi Kazuki cursed his people-pleasing reputation. Already regretting the words, he mumbled, "Okay, Satoru. I'll do it. For Kanno-san."

Satoru cheered, causing Kazuki to wince and take the phone away from his ear. "Alright! Thanks so much, man! We really owe you one—this is a one-time deal, I _promise._ Thanks again! See ya tomorrow!"

_Click._

With a snap, Kazuki closed his phone and stashed it in his pocket.

With the practice game tomorrow after school, he wouldn't have time anymore to get to Ushigome. Just _great … _how long was this whole situation going to drag out?

**ºThe Next Morningº**

"Yuichi, dear! I've made breakfast! Are you all set for school?"

Kazuki's mother's voice floated up the stairs, just as he was shutting the door to his room for the day, bags over his shoulder. "I'm coming." Before leaving, he double-checked that his precious ring was on his middle finger, where it should be. It glinted in the morning light.

In the kitchen, he set down his bags by the front door before seating himself at the counter, ready to dig into a freshly baked morning bun, straight from the oven. "Thanks for the food!"

Yuichi's mother smiled, drying dishes. "Of course, of course—oh, what's this? You're bringing your sports bag to school today, dear? Is your class going on a day trip?"

"Mmm—" Yuichi hastily swallowed. "No, actually I forgot to tell you. Satoru rang yesterday afternoon and asked me to be a reliever for the practice game against Kaisei today. Kanno Otogi's grandmother passed on, so the spot needed filling."

His mother clucked her tongue. "Oh, what a shame! I will have to send flowers onto Kazuko Kanno! Well, it sure is nice of you to help out the team! Just don't overdo it and get hurt, okay?"

Finishing up his breakfast, Kazuki went over to the door. He slipped on his shoes, and kissed his mother good-bye. "I won't. I'll be back late. Have a good day, Mother."

"Good-bye, dear!"

Kazuki arrived to school early, avoiding the most fanatic of his fangirls, and managed to get a bit of light reading in before the first bell rang for homeroom. (Of course, it wasn't a novel or magazine, but a college entrance exam preparation book.)

After attendance and general announcements, the teacher called out the names of the students who would be on class duty for the day—Kazuki was caught off-guard when his name was called along with Kanno Otogi's, who was of course absent that day. Shutting his prep book, he approached the teacher's desk. The teacher handed him a small slip of paper.

"Kazuki-san, here is the list of the books your afternoon teachers need. It is small today, so you can manage by yourself, right?"

The senior grasped the slip of paper; secretly relieved he could do the task unassisted. For such a popular man as he, time alone was coveted and always appreciated. He certainly didn't mind giving up the noisy lunch hour for the quiet, peaceful tranquility of the school library. He would gladly do it every day, if he could.

"Yes, sir."

**ºThe Libraryº**

The library was almost completely empty during the lunch hour, no one but the handful of students enlisted for their class duty milling about the bookshelves, lists in hand. The librarian smiled at Yuichi as he casually strolled in the open door, pulling his own list out of his back pocket and unfolding it. He gave a polite smile back to her, and then attended to his duty.

There were four books on the list. Three of the books were pretty standard. Language, psychology, and Japanese history textbooks … the fourth book, however, made Kazuki want to laugh and shake his head. _'__Speak English like an American'__ … for some reason, I'm not surprised Touya-sensei asked for this book …'_

He went to the computers, looked up the numbers for each book on the list, and then dove into the maze of bookshelves, hunting for his prizes. It was easy work, almost boring—but Kazuki found the smell of old volumes and the soft hum of silence very calming and peaceful.

That_ is_, until the silence was broken by a muttered voice. "Damn ... on top of everything else ... did it hafta be on the top shelf?!"

Kazuki's head snapped up, fingers halting in their gentle sweep over laminated spines, and cocked his head. He listened closely, zeroing in on the voice. It _couldn't_ be. Was that ..?

Carefully, the straw-haired senior removed a book from the shelf, rustling not a single page, and then stooped over to peer through the created gap. Immediately his heart swelled and his stomach fluttered—it _was_!

Wataru Fujii was in the next aisle over, his back turned to Kazuki and his dark head turned upwards. He had his hands on his hips, looking defiant and determined at what was undoubtably a book resting comfortably on the very top shelf, a good two and a half feet above his head.

Kazuki stared, a smirk slowly creeping over his mouth. _'What will you do now, Wataru?'_

* * *

**See ya next Monday! =)**


	10. Library: B

Kazuki went through the motions of checking the reference numbers on the spines of the library books surrounding him, in case anyone were to spot him—but he kept his gray eyes on the sienna-haired boy in the next isle, watching his struggles through the gap in the shelf.

Wataru Fujii was standing on his tiptoes, stretching his arm and fingers as far as they would go, straining his muscles and gritting his teeth at the sheer effort he was putting into growing just _one_ extra centimeter taller. But it really was no use; any idiot could see that Wataru was simply too short to reach the top shelf.

Kazuki chuckled quietly under his breath, highly charmed by the junior's little-boy antics. _'He can be downright _adorable_ sometimes, like a cute little kid,'_ Kazuki thought with a slightly _twisted_ smile. _'What does that say about my tastes, I wonder?'_ He wisely chose not to follow that line of thinking.

Wataru stole back his complete attention when he slumped down into a crouch, obviously disheartened. Kazuki heard him mumble something under his breath, and leaned a little closer to the gap to try and make it out.

He jumped a little when Wataru snapped his head up and snarled quite audibly, "Anyway, where's Tachibana?! She's supposed to be on class duty too!"

So Wataru was on class duty too … smothering his irritation at hearing that _female's_ name coming out of his crush's mouth **again**, he furrowed his eyebrows in thought. If Wataru was here for class duty, then surely he needed not just _one_ book, but a _handful_ of books. He was certain that the combined weight would be more than that of the petite boy who had to carry them!

"All these books … how am I supposed to carry them by myself?" So, it seemed that Wataru shared his concerns. The boy's cobalt eyes swept along the base of the shelves surrounding him, obviously looking for the library stepladder. But Kazuki knew he wouldn't find it—he himself had witnessed its destruction last week, when it had buckled under too much weight.

Suddenly Wataru, his face set in a grim line, placed a foot upon the bottom lip of the bookcase and lifted himself up shakily. Kazuki almost couldn't believe what he was seeing—obviously driven to some kind of desperation, Wataru Fujii was now attempting to _climb_ the bookshelf.

'_What is that idiot doing? He's going to fall …!'_

Feeling oddly panicked, Kazuki maneuvered quickly around the shelf and strode over to Wataru, steeling his nerves to knowingly and willingly engage in conversation with the boyish beauty.

First things first—he had to get that idiot off the rickety shelf before he hurt himself. Kazuki couldn't stand the thought of Wataru sustaining any injury. He cleared his throat imperceptibly, put on what he hoped was an extremely cool expression, and asked, "Which one?"

He immediately regretted doing so, however, when Wataru jerked in surprise; and in that split-second of muscle spasm lost his grip on the shelf and tumbled backwards. "Whoa …!"

Eyes wide, Kazuki lurched forwards with his arms out, and just barely managed to catch the petite junior before he hit the ground. Wataru was briefly stunned, leaning heavily against Kazuki's supportive frame and breathing erratically. Kazuki noticed that his gaze was filled with relief and gratitude.

Kazuki noticed a lot. This was the closest he'd ever been to his crush, and in that singular frozen moment—Wataru's eyes on the shelf he'd fallen from, Kazuki's eyes on Wataru—the love-struck senior noticed a multitude of new things about the beautiful boy.

Wataru's hair was not all sienna brown—many strands gleamed a lustrous black, and some even a brilliant gold in the light. The top button of his uniform was undone, and the cloth was slightly wrinkly. There was a light, cleanly fragrance emanating from his body—either it was Wataru's shampoo, or the detergent used to wash his clothes. His beautiful eyes were a mosaic of blue hues, and so deep …

Kazuki's heart fluttered as fast as a hummingbird, and he savored the feel of Wataru resting in his arms. It was a freak accident, a random chaotic occurrence; it would never happen again. He had to memorize this feeling and make it last in his mind!

The moment unfroze, and was over. Wataru's eyes darted over to his unexpected savior, and Kazuki put up his cool mask to intercept that searching gaze.

"What are you doing, idiot?"

He watched Wataru's eyes widen in recognition, and then the petite boy was _launching_ himself out of the senior's arms with a strangled cry, heat rising to his cheeks. Kazuki's arms were left empty and cold, and he mourned the loss of Wataru's warmth.

"You …!" Wataru gasped, eyes angry but distinctly embarrassed. "What are _you_ doing here?!"

Well _that_ was rather rude. Not to mention being so impolitely called (how dare he call him 'you' in such an objectifying manner!), but this was a library in a public school, wasn't it? Kazuki was hardly intruding. And he _did_ seem to recall just having saved this boy's skin! From … well, from a slight _bruising_ anyway.

The straw-haired senior put his hands on his hips in a haughty gesture. "I should ask _you_ the same question. This is the first time I've ever seen anyone try to scale a bookshelf."

At this not-so-subtle reminder of Kazuki's heroics, Wataru grit his teeth and curled his fist around the slip of paper a little tighter, clearly irritated but aptly humbled. "Th-thanks for … h-helping me," he said in a small voice.

Kazuki supposed he'd be happier at this little victory if Wataru had sounded even more like he meant it—but then again, he liked Wataru's hotheadedness, and enjoyed the displays of pure, unfiltered emotion from the smaller boy.

"You're welcome. Feel humiliated?" He replied in a monotone—his colorless voice and neutral mask a polar opposite to Wataru.

He could not afford to be like Wataru. There was no place for a heart on his sleeve. When dedicating one's life to the practice of getting along with everybody, extroverted feelings and opinions had to be eliminated. Opinions are words that exist solely to be disagreed with, and feelings complicate relationships. Without either, Kazuki found it a simple matter to attain everyone's expectations of him.

He watched with heavy-lidded, blank eyes as Wataru's chin lowered and his gaze darkened with anger at his tossed insult. _'It was simple … until I met __**you**__.'_

* * *

_**I have the flu. And an infection. And I had a bad allergic reaction to something I ate for lunch (I'm allergic to onion powder which is IN EVERYTHING HOLY SHEETS.)**  
_

_**Also this may be awful; I'm not quite sure. I'm too sick to be able to tell properly. If it is—I'm sorry! I'll fix it when I can feel my innards.**_

_**... Happy Monday. **_


	11. Library: C

**Hello everyone! Good evening.**

**For those of you who didn't get the notice, I'd postponed the chapter update to tonight. I want to remind you that, if you stop by the story page on a Monday and there is no update, you should check my profile page. I will ALWAYS put up a notice telling you why I didn't update, and give you the revised date of the post.**

**One last bit of business: NEXT MONDAY'S UPDATE IS CANCELLED. I am in a musical, and this week is dress-rehearsal after dress-rehearsal, and this weekend is show-weekend. I'll have no time to write. I'm sorry! :( I love you guys!**

**If you have any question, please PM me, or send me a message on Skype (aWICKEDgiraffe). I love hearing from you!**

* * *

"So … which one is it?"

Wataru was startled out of his sullen temper. "Huh?"

"The book. You wanted it, right? Tell me which one; _I'll_ get it for you," Kazuki said, pointing to the top shelf Wataru had been trying to reach.

"That's … that's none of your business!" Wataru no doubt felt like a child being told to let the adult handle things. He looked irritated beyond measure, though little drops of sweat had broken out over his skin. After all, if he refused help from Kazuki, then he would have no choice but to climb again—and that had worked out so well the first time, hadn't it? _'So stubborn …'_

"You have realized it's **impossible** at your height, haven't you?" Kazuki asked dryly, aiming the stinger right for Wataru's pride. "And the stepladder's broken, by the way," he added, just in case the junior still had any hope of avoiding Kazuki's help. He saw Wataru cringe slightly, and knew he'd thought right. He laughed inwardly.

"Come now," he drawled condescendingly, pulling Wataru's list out of his loose fingers. "It's better than climbing, isn't it?"

As Wataru sulked, Kazuki scanned the boy's list. Eight books … all the titles were in English, and they were all familiar to the senior. He'd spent _ages_ pouring over all of them—he knew them cover-to-cover.

He pulled the first two volumes off the top shelf. "This brings back memories. I read the same books on these shelves last year, too. Suzuki of grammar made up this list, right?"

Wataru's gaze shifted to Kazuki, his large eyes unblinking as he stared squarely at the taller boy. "You _read_ them? But they're in English …" His tone was breathy and skeptical, but there was praise in his eyes.

Kazuki smiled slightly and held up the collected reference books to showcase their thickness and decidedly un-Japanese orientation. Inwardly he felt happy that Wataru had been impressed with his abilities, and his ego swelled pleasantly. "I used a dictionary, but yeah. Read 'em once through, write one report, and even _you_ might have a shot at a top university."

His expression was friendly as he deposited what he thought was excellent advice on Wataru, and he barely noticed the smaller boy's bemused expression as he handed the books over.

"Um … can I ask you something?"

Kazuki didn't reply; he just let the silence answer Wataru in the positive as he reached for more books.

"Why are you being so _nice_ today?"

Kazuki was taken aback. For a moment he couldn't keep the incredulity off his face as he turned his head to look at Wataru.

Had his actions over the course of the few days he'd been regularly speaking to Wataru been so wrong that a small gesture of kindness as this needed to be called into question?

He turned away from Wataru's piercing stare to hide his face, since he couldn't shake his distraught emotions. Thinking back, Kazuki realized with sadness that every time he'd interacted with Wataru, he'd been vindictive and cold. At the water fountain, in the empty classroom, on the roof … every time Wataru had made his heart ache, he'd retaliated with callous words and unfair rejection.

Damn this feeling that made him lose his stability around Wataru! He'd never experienced this much loss-of-control around _anyone_ else before! The more he interacted with his beautiful crush, the less he was able to distance himself from the strong feelings the dark-haired boy ignited in him. From Wataru's standpoint, whom knew nothing of these turbulent feelings constantly swilling around in Yuichi's body, it seemed like unwarranted bullying.

He felt shame blossom in his cheeks, tingeing them red. Of all the people in Ryokuyo, Wataru Fujii was the only person he'd ever been outright mean to. And of all the people in Ryokuyo, he was the one who least deserved it.

Trying his best to school his face (though his couldn't completely erase the heartache in his eyes), he turned back to Wataru and handed him the last two more books. "They're for the afternoon class, right? What would happen if these reference books weren't prepared? From the looks of it, you were the only one here …"

It was a weak explanation, and judging the way he was looking at him, Wataru thought so too. He set the heavy books down on the floor to relieve his sore arms and attempted to argue. "Yeah … but—"

"I had no choice. I spot a shorty who's having trouble reaching a book. I happen to be there, and also know that the stepladder is broken. So, of course, I have to help."

Wataru's brow furrowed. Yuichi thought he might confess right then and there that he was in love with him, if only to erase the mistrust reflected in his cherished person's eyes. It pained him greatly that Wataru doubted him.

"But you could have ignored me …"

Kazuki felt his tongue get caught up in his throat. He hadn't been expecting such a reply … Wataru was right. If he truly couldn't stand the other boy, as he'd led him to believe, then he _would_ have ignored him. So the sienna-haired junior must at least _suspect_ that Kazuki was lying to save face … but did he realize the reason why? Could he in any way infer that Kazuki not only didn't dislike Wataru, but in fact loved him wholeheartedly? He felt a stab of self-pity as he realized that no matter what he did—confess the truth or keep up the lie—Wataru would see him as the _fake_ he really was.

Yuichi felt color rise to his cheeks in panic, his mind whirling to find a suitable response to Wataru's poignant protest. He felt a bit angry—why did Wataru have to press him like this? It was hard to think on his feet under the pressure of the smaller boy's judging inquiries. Looking away to the right, a bothered look on his face, Kazuki said, "What are you saying? You're irresponsible. If the reference material isn't there, the _whole_ class suffers."

Wataru continued to look at him with wide, unblinking eyes, a reflective look on his face. Kazuki knew he was dissecting his words and trying to find a reason behind the contradicting words of the past and actions of the present.

Still flushing, and feeling incredibly awkward and embarrassed, Kazuki looked down at Wataru's list to avoid looking at that searching stare. He regretted the whole encounter when he noticed Wataru brighten up a bit and smile. Kazuki felt ill. What conclusion had he come up with? Did he suspect the truth? Did he think Kazuki a fool? Was he mocking him?

Kazuki took a breath and tried to salvage what little remained of his neutral mask. He was annoyed when he thought about how easily his mask crumbled in front of Wataru—that selfsame mask which had fooled everyone else, from his teachers to his own parents. He had accidently shown Wataru his true emotions twice now, and each time had been a disaster.

"This is the last one." He pulled one more book off the shelf, and waved it by Wataru; perhaps as a last-ditch effort to distract the boy from his musings. He watched as Wataru grabbed it and stacked it on top of the pile—there were 8 volumes in all. He would need help carrying them … Kazuki debated on how to do it. After all, a line had been crossed, and he couldn't go back.

If he treated Wataru with the same callous attitude, as before, this non-sequitor moment would amount to nothing, and only succeed in making Wataru dismiss him. No … he had to make it seem like he was simply warming up to the junior—it would make the most sense in the situation and hopefully dissuade Wataru from analyzing his words.

"Would you like me to help you carry them?" Kazuki asked, after watching Wataru stare down at the large pile warily. Wataru whipped around, his beautiful cobalt eyes big and round.

"Huh? _Seriously?_" Wataru shouted, briefly forgetting their location. It was impossibly cute, that expression, and Kazuki couldn't help but grin at him from over his shoulder. He really _was_ like a little kid sometimes …

"If you bow your head and ask me nicely," Kazuki retorted, like an adult speaking to a particularly stubborn child, and then turned away.

He needed a moment to himself. He rubbed the back of his neck where a stress-knot ached, and closed his eyes. _'Breathe in … breathe out …'_ He had to calm down.

Together, he and Wataru each carried a pile of books up to the third floor and the junior's classroom, avoiding each other's gazes and talking very little. Wataru managed to nudge the door open with his foot when they arrived, and they walked in. In the background he could hear the usual excited trills of girls at the infamous senior appearance in their classroom, but he could barely hear them over the pounding in his own heart.

"Oh, what a pleasant surprise! Good afternoon, Kazuki-san," Suzuki-sensei beamed as the two boys set the books down heavily on the front table. "Helping out a _kohai_, up to your usual good deeds I see! Good, good!"

Kazuki greeted his old teacher politely, and then headed towards the door. He'd just passed the threshold when Wataru's voice called out to him.

"Hey, wait…"

He immediately turned around; that voice would make him do just about anything, he reckoned.

Wataru gave him a little smile; it was nowhere as brilliant as the smile Kazuki had fallen in love with, and it was tinged with lingering confusion and doubt.

"Thanks for your help."

Never have words of gratitude ever made Kazuki feel more miserable.


	12. Basketball: A

**Sorry everyone! Now back to our regularly-scheduled updates. :)**

* * *

Kazuki hadn't really had time to dwell on the library incident, because before long he was heading to the locker room to prepare for the practice game.

The Ryokuyo team was very receptive and welcoming to their reliever player, though Kazuki figured it mostly had to do with his cool school reputation rather than his actual talent at basketball.

In fact, Kazuki found himself rather annoyed, upon entering the gym in full uniform to warm up, to see a great many girls packing onto the bleachers, no doubt just to watch him play. _'I bet most of these people have __**never**__ been to a Ryokuyo basketball team match before …'_ Kazuki secretly disliked them for their fickle sense of loyalty. _'I'm just a reliever player; I'm not even on the team! None of these girls even know I'm any good.'_

"Hatori, you're on point. Kazuki-san, you'll be 2-man. Toshiyasu, 3rd. Satoru and Haruha, you'll be forwards. Our strategy for defense is fluidity, and for offense your only goal is to run plays to free up Kazuki-san for the shot. Got it?" The coach barked, right before the tip-off.

"Yes, Coach!" The huddle broke, and Kazuki went to his position next to the circle, ready to grab the ball should it be knocked his way. He was very displeased about Coach's offensive strategy … but there was nothing he could do. Coach knew Kazuki's basketball prowess very well, and could never be dissuaded from taking advantage of it.

The referee held the ball in the air, and the whistle blew.

**Fweeeeeeet!**

Kaisei won the tipoff. The team's shooting-guard managed to drive it all the way to the low post before Kazuki, who had managed to race back to defense before Ryokuyo's forwards, swatted the ball away easily and reclaimed it for his team.

Kaisei's drive had been sudden and exciting, but too fast-paced for the very beginning of the game. So Kazuki held back and protected the ball, slowing it down. When everyone had settled in the Kaisei court, Kazuki handed the ball off to the point-guard and moved to his position as 2-man.

The point-guard called off a number. Ryokuyo ran the play, which basically opened Kazuki up to take a jump shot at the 3-point line.

_Swoosh!_ Nothing but net. The Ryokuyo onlookers went wild, the collective screams of girls sounding louder than anything that gymnasium had heard in many years. The Kaisei players seemed taken aback and dazed, looking at Yuichi Kazuki as if seeing him for the first time. After all, they had banked on an easy win here, since Ryokuyo had a reputation of being a pushover in the league. But not tonight—Kazuki _never_ missed the basket.

The game went on. The score was 38-26. Kaisei was good—their point-guard had amazing footwork and the forwards were boxing-out champions. But Kazuki _never missed_ a shot. Ryokuyo ran multiple plays throughout the game, but all of them had the same end goal in mind: give Yuichi Kazuki the ball and score a basket. As the game progressed, all Ryokuyo's numbers were going up—the score on the scoreboard, and the number of fans in the stands.

_Whoosh!_ Kazuki weaved through the two defenders Kaisei had on him now like they weren't even there. He made a two-point jump shot in the box as the Ryokuyo forwards blocked Kaisei's. Score.

Kazuki faked his defenders out by moving forward as if to drive to the basket, but at the last moment made a behind-the-back pass to the 3rd man, Toshiyasu. Toshi then passed it to Satoru by the end line, who was clear for a shot—but as the defenders shifted to black Satoru they inadvertently left Kazuki an opening. Satoru passed the ball back through the gap in their waving arms and Kazuki took the shot.

_Swoosh_! The three-pointer sailed in the basket, hitting nothing but net.

The score was 52-32. The buzzer rang—it was the end of the second quarter. As the sweaty senior headed off the court, he was greeted with screams of the crowd and the cheers of his temporary teammates. They lined up to give him high-fives.

"All-right, yeah! Kazuki, you're the king! We're winning!"

Kazuki just smiled, obliged their outstretched palms, and headed into the locker room as fast as he could. He was starting to feel very annoyed at himself. He _shouldn't_ be getting the ball so much …! He was the _outsider_, an intruder on the team. He thought about Mikki and Seto, who had been sitting on the bench for the entire game—he shouldn't be playing so much, not when they haven't gotten a chance to play at _all_ …!

'_Maybe … I can talk to the coach. Convince him to take me out …'_ He recalled earlier in the afternoon, when he had run into the coach before school had let out.

"Ah, Kazuki-san," the old man had called out gruffly, a grin on his prickly face. "So you're going to be my reliever, eh? Excellent, excellent! I remember junior league, you know, you were so very promising! Shame you didn't stay on for varsity—but, we have you tonight, haha! We may get a win yet, yes …"

'_Yeah,'_ Kazuki scoffed to himself, as he refilled his water bottle and headed back into the gym. _'Fat chance.'_

As the game progressed, so too did Kazuki's feelings of shame and injustice. Mikki had since gotten a turn on the court, but Seto still sat on the bench, watching as the straw-haired senior got all his playing time. Kazuki gritted his teeth as he was again cleared for a shot. He made a three-pointer, and the crowed roared in delight.

'Stop,' he wanted to scream at them! 'Stop cheering for me! I'm not even a team member!' Kazuki felt himself getting more and more worked up.

The score was 68-41. Kaisei now had three guards on him, so determined were they not to let Kazuki get off another shot. That was wonderfully fine with Kazuki—now that three of the defenders were pulled away, he could easily hand off the ball to the other players, so _they_ could make the baskets and _they _could get the glory.

Honestly, Yuichi wanted nothing more than to leave. The feelings like he was an invader and he didn't belong were getting more overwhelming by the minute. But he couldn't! Anyone who knew the game of basketball knew that anything could happen in a single quarter. If Kazuki left and Kaisei made up the difference in their scores, then Ryokuyo could still lose. And, whether he'd wanted to or not, he'd made an obligation with this team, the coach, and even the fans who had all shown up _just_ to watch him play. He couldn't let all these people down. He couldn't bear the thought of disappointing so many.

Kazuki held the ball securely at his side as three Kaisei players desperately waved their arms around him, hoping for an interception. Kazuki spared a moment to glance into the large crowd of Ryokuyo students—and sweetly tousled sienna hair and brilliantly shining cobalt eyes met his gaze.

Really? Of _all_ the people in the crowd, he had managed to spot the _only_ one he had feelings for. He flashed Wataru an ironic little smile—Lady Luck was _hounding_ him today. She could really be _quite_ the pest.

Kazuki managed to pass the ball off to Haruha, who made a clean layup basket to score another two points. But Kazuki's mind wasn't really on the game any longer …

All those girls in the crowd … they would be _so_ disappointed to see Kazuki leave the court. And, even just thirty seconds ago, Kazuki had been terrified of that disappointment. He supposed it was rather his biggest fear, out of anything else.

But seeing Wataru, just a second ago … had _altered_ him, somewhat. A big, muted blanket had fallen over his unsettling emotions, and brought calmness over his body. It's like … Kazuki _knew_ that Wataru would understand the way he felt, and support him in his decision to leave. And that hypothetical support was worth more to Kazuki than a hundred other supporters in a faceless crowd.

He smiled again.

There were ten minutes left in the game. The score was 86-55, and Ryokuyo's victory was assured. Kazuki could finally go.

"Coach!" He raised his hand. "Coach, please call time out!" He shouted. The old man was confused, but did as Kazuki asked. The whistle trilled shrilly, and Ryokuyo's team huddled on the sidelines.

"What's the matter, Kazuki-san? Are you injured?"

Kazuki avoided the huddle, wanting nothing more to do with the pretense that he was a part of this team. "No. But I'm done. Let Seto play; I need air." Wiping sweat off his face, he wandered over to the side door of the gym, which led to the outside. He could hear the coach sputtering protests behind him, but he made no move to acknowledge them. He was already walking out into the afternoon light. All the noise of the crowd and the game cut off as soon as the door shut behind him.

The breeze rustled through the trees, and felt very pleasant on Yuichi's hot skin. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. It was a beautiful day.

He wandered over to a copse of trees, deciding to hide in their shadowy underbrush in case any girls were to chase after him. Though he honestly hoped that they were not so selfish as to leave the game in the last five minutes, just because he was no longer playing. He would feel awful if a steep drop in audience members for the final victory ruined his act of supposed good grace.

He almost groaned when a dark head of hair whipped into sight from around the corner, feeling like he had spoken too soon. But then, as the body sprinted into sight, he noticed the boy's uniform and had to take a closer look.

He gasped. It was Wataru! He couldn't believe it—of all the hundreds of people in that gym who could have dashed after him like this, Wataru would have been the last one he'd consider likely! He watched, shell-shocked, as Wataru's head whipped in all directions, obviously searching for him.

'_Maybe … maybe he really __**does**__ understand, after all …'_

Wataru stood facing the door to the gym Kazuki had come out of; unknowingly putting his back to the senior he was looking for. "What...? Where did you go …?"

Kazuki stepped out from under his refuge of trees.

"…Looking for me?"

* * *

**Best part in the whole manga coming up next! I've said it before, but I really love this scene! It's my favorite interaction of theirs by far! I hope I can do it justice ... *fret fret***


	13. Basketball: B

**Here it is, part 1 of the best scene in the book (besides the kissing scene!) I contemplated waiting to post this until I did the entire scene, but then I remembered my little hiatus 2 weeks ago so I thought NOPE!**

**So, here it is! Part 3 of 3 coming next week!**

* * *

"Looking for me?"

Wataru froze. Kazuki stepped out from underneath the canopy of lush greenery and approached the boy's prone form, being sure his sneakers made plenty of noise so as not to startle him. He likened it to approaching a cautious dog—startle it and you're likely to get it's teeth.

Wataru still did not turn around, not even when Yuichi stopped at his back. The senior heard a tentative call of his name. "Kazuki …?"

It was the first time Wataru had said his name since shouting it out loud in the deserted Junior hallway the day they met. Kazuki shivered, delighting in the sound his name wrapped in Wataru's voice, and his body grew pleasantly warm. He was glad Wataru was facing the other direction because he couldn't help the sincere smile that spread across his lips.

"That's _Sir_ Kazuki to you," he teased, the brightness of his natural timbre alluding to the facetiousness of his comment. He watched with amusement as Wataru's fists clenched none-the-less. Honestly, that boy was so _sensitive_ …!

"I was _right_," he continued, stepping even closer to Wataru's back. He was drowning in the moment—the wind played with Wataru's dark locks, and seemed to whisper words of encouragement in Kazuki's ear. He could almost _smell_ the petite boy; the crisp scent of clean laundry, the hint of cinnamon in his hair, a whiff of cologne …

"…Right about what?" **Still** the boy did not turn around! Kazuki wanted more—he wanted to explore the deep caverns of blue that were his eyes … just like he'd done on the roof.

"I knew you would chase after me," Kazuki crowed, even though that wasn't the _whole_ truth. Surely during the basketball game he'd fantasized about a deep wordless understanding between the two of them … but not until Wataru had come racing around the corner did he start to think it was _true. _It was a rather _marvelous_ revelation.

'_We're getting to know each other better," _Kazuki thought with another wave of pleasure. He reached out and placed his hand gently on Wataru's shoulder. The body in front of him was warm, but tense.

"You're a _fool_, you know. You're missing a historic moment! This will be Ryokuyo's first win since _forever_," he said amicably, wishing he could add on how happy being the object of Wataru's worry made him.

He applied gentle pressure to Wataru's shoulder, sending him a hint. He wanted a conversation with the younger student more than anything right now—a normal one, like friends would have.

Wataru whirled around, the force knocking Kazuki's hand off his shoulder. "Ka—" Wataru started loudly, as if he were about to yell at him again, but then locked gazes with Yuichi and deflated immediately. "Kazuki …" He finished, sounding hesitant and soft.

Sounding _beautiful_. Kazuki's eyes floated downwards in a brief vision of one day hearing his _first_ name coming out of Wataru's mouth … and noticed Wataru's shoes. The junior's feet were only half inside; his heels hadn't managed to get all the way into the sneaker in Wataru's obvious rush to get here, and they had mashed down the backs of shoes. It was terribly sloppy, and terribly endearing.

"Your shoelace … it's untied," Kazuki commented absently.

Wataru looked down. "Oh," he murmured, and then kneeled down to put the footwear on properly. Kazuki didn't miss the pink tinge to Wataru's cheeks—he bet the boy was angry with himself for appearing so desperate in front of the infamous senior.

He surprised Wataru and perhaps even himself when he crouched down beside Wataru, watching him lace up his shoe for a few moments before surveying the gym building with a retrospective visage. "The game should be over soon," he remarked, almost to himself. He was glad Ryokuyo would get the win, and doubly glad that he wasn't there to receive any of the accolades. That win belonged to the team …

"You don't fool me, you know," Wataru muttered, and Kazuki registered that the boy had been watching him when he moved his cobalt eyes back to his shoelaces. "You were planning on leaving the whole time."

"What?"

"The _game_," Wataru pressed. He looked up at Kazuki again, dissatisfaction in his eyes. "Why are you being so inconsiderate? They're _winning_ because of you. They would have wanted you to play until the end."

Kazuki couldn't help his disappointment. So Wataru really didn't understand him, after all … was the closeness he'd felt with the boy just a few moments ago all a fabrication of his lonely mind? Some sort of chemical bond that mimicked chemistry and evoked misunderstandings?

Kazuki had no desire to explain himself to Wataru—and wasn't that the whole point of this anyway, to be innately understood without translations? Also, some part of him felt like it would spoil his enjoyment of Wataru's company if he had to spell out his reasoning for the younger boy.

"I got **bored**," Kazuki retorted a bit spitefully, moving to set his body gracefully upon the grass. His knees had begun to grow numb.

"You're going to shrug it off like _that_?" Wataru's voice was pitched lower than usual. Kazuki looked up to see a rather … _intense_ stare of utter disapproval in every sense of the word on Wataru's face. The light-eyed senior was surprised to find he was actually minutely intimidated by the look!

"What I mean is—it wouldn't been _annoying_ … if I'd stayed behind," Kazuki amended, turning his face away to hide his awkwardness and bringing a curled hand up to rest against his face. He almost nibbled on one of his nails in nervousness before he caught himself and lowered his arm again.

"That's not true!" Wataru argued, but Kazuki was a step ahead of him.

"No, no. I meant me—_**I'd**_ be annoyed."

Wataru considered him with an adorable tilt of his head, obviously interpreting his reply. But it wasn't for Kazuki to know what was going on in that pretty little head of his, for at that moment a muted echo of a whistle sounded from inside the building next to them, followed by the roars of a pleased crowd.

"It's over," Kazuki commented airily, and slowly began to drag himself off the ground. "From the cheers, I'd say we won."

"Yeah …" Wataru watched Kazuki stand up until he had to crane his neck to see the senior, and then stood up himself.

For some reason, Kazuki noticed Wataru's shoes again. There was something about them that kept drawing his attention … what _was_ it?

When the answer came to him, he smiled. "Those are cool," he said.

Wataru followed his gaze down to his own feet. "Huh?"

"A small body wearing such _clunky_ high-tops … well played! The contrast fits your personality to at '**T'**," Kazuki teased.

Wataru was instantly offended, but the most amusing part was that Kazuki didn't think he realized exactly _why_ he was supposed to be offended. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?!"

Kazuki chuckled. "It means you're rough and unrefined." He only laughed harder when Wataru narrowed his eyes and made that growling noise at Kazuki (the same sound he'd made on the roof) again. "And _that_ is a most predictable response."

Wataru's face was highly unamused, though there was still that look of cluelessness about his flat features that told Kazuki the poor thick boy _still_ had no idea whether or not he was being insulted.

Kazuki turned away and laughed into the dancing breezes, bringing a hand up into his hair in an attempt to neaten it (though it was beyond the hope of any cure but a long shower.) It was fun being with Wataru—the hotheadedness, the naiveté, and the simplistic nature of Wataru's personality complimented Yuichi's cool, cunning, multi-layered character perfectly, providing him a challenge he never got tired of overcoming. And he chalked up a huge success for himself for having a normal, friendly conversation with his infatuation. No crushing blows to anyone's ego, no hurtful words, no accidents … the afternoon had gone as smoothly as could be! Thank goodness for small victories.

Kazuki sighed. He could no longer hear the cheers of Ryokuyo students, which meant that a steady stream of people would come bursting through that gym door any minute now. And Kazuki would rather _not_ be spotted by a few dozen people in what they would probably call some sort of secret _tryst_, thank you very much.

And, anyway, he didn't want Wataru to be a victim of some brutal rumor mill because of him. He didn't want Wataru to be talked about at _all_, really. He'd rather have the beauty all to himself, even in thoughts.

So it was with great regret that Kazuki decided to head back to the locker room. "I'd better get changed," he said.

It was about then that Kazuki realized that Wataru had been staring quite intently at him for the past minute and a half, without even so much as blinking.

'_What … is he looking at?'_


	14. Basketball: C

Wataru stared intently at something just past Kazuki's right ear, bringing his arm up in closer to his chest and thumbing his ring in an almost _forlorn_ manner. Following the boy's gaze, he realized Wataru was staring at his hand, still woven in his straw-colored hair. More specifically, judging from the way Wataru played with is ring, his empty middle finger.

"What, the ring? I took it off for the game."

Kazuki's voice seemed to startle the blue-eyed boy out of his thoughts. He flushed, apparently embarrassed to have been caught spacing out like that. "Huh? Oh …" His voice was lackluster, and his eyes seemed to retain flecks of wistfulness within them.

Kazuki was confused over what Wataru could be _sad_ about, but he knew for sure that he didn't like it. So, he thought he would try to lighten the mood. "Too bad for you I didn't lose it, huh?" He taunted, flicking a splayed-fingered hand in Wataru's direction.

It achieved its desired result; a flood of annoyance washed the sadness away. "Tch."

Kazuki chuckled, and took another step towards the gym. He was still worried about being discovered here by exiting fans … though part of him couldn't quite let go of the confusion over seeing Wataru _upset_ over his missing ring. What could possibly be the reason behind it? He saw no logic in it.

"Man, you're easy to read," he lied, taking another few steps forward. "Anyway, it's not like I would lose it _again_—I'm not that stupid."

"…So **I'm** stupid, then."

Kazuki froze. The words had been muttered, almost as if Wataru hadn't meant them to be heard. He felt taken aback—what did he mean by _that_? Kazuki hadn't been insulting Wataru; surely the boy wasn't _that _determined to think the worst of him …right?

"Huh?"

Wataru had been looking down, eyes hooded and gaze obviously directed into his own memories. He didn't look up upon hearing Kazuki's voice, though an edge of focus did come back into his eyes. "Well, I've … I've lost it before."

"Before?" Kazuki echoed questioningly, wanting the petite boy to elaborate.

"Yeah … before we switched at the fountain. It was about one or two months after I bought it."

Intrigue flooded Kazuki's being—not because he didn't already know the story, but because there was something quite thrilling about hearing an old story in a new perspective. Unbeknownst to Wataru, Yuichi had been involved in that incident—and he was eager to hear the account of events from the junior's point-of-view.

Not wanting to give himself away, Kazuki kept a very impassive look on his face as he drawled "Aaand," with a 'continue-if-you-must' kind of aire.

Kazuki's lackluster interest seemed to bemuse Wataru, who obviously hadn't been expecting to recount the tale. "Um … well, it was at school. I took it off to wash my hands, just like last time … and left it there."

Kazuki remained frozen. How should he look? How should he act? He was bewildered, yet pleased—he both knew and didn't know this story, and the contradicting sensations were pleasant in his head.

"It wasn't that expensive, so … I gave up on it pretty easily. But then a week later, it just … came _back_."

"Came back?" So Wataru didn't have a suspect, other than _karma_ or something like that. So, using Wataru's theory, Yuichi himself was some powerful force of destiny, set on bringing back the symbol of his love to its fated owner …

Ugh, what a stupid thought. Wonderful and _pathetic_.

"Yea. One morning … I came to school, and there it was on my desk. I still don't know _how_. I was so surprised—it was like the ring had come back to me on its own and … I was _moved."_ He raised his pale, wide hand to eye-level, and then clenched his fist so that the ring was displayed quite deliberately. "When I look at this ring, I can remember that feeling …" Wataru's eyes grew foggier as he lost himself to reverberations of the sentiment.

And he wasn't alone. Kazuki's gray eyes were misty with his own memories of that day—the day in which he had fallen in love with the slender beauty before him. Sun rays had danced and shimmered in the air … apricot skin had positively glowed in the light … two pink lips had curved sensuously and beautifully upwards, bringing his heart to a dead standstill …

"…I see," he murmured softly.

"Since then, I've treasured it," Wataru continued, looking over to Kazuki's profile. "'Cuz wouldn't _you_ be happy if you got something you'd already given up on?"

_Something I'd already given up on …_

He thought immediately of Wataru. How many times had he told himself to get over his love for Wataru Fujii, because it was simply _impossible_ for it to come to any fruition? How many precious hours had he spent lying awake, covered in a sheen of sweat, haunted in dreams by the beautiful boy he could never possess?

He thought of the story he had just heard. Wataru had lost the ring, and dismissed it as lost forever. And then one day, one magical day, it had _returned_ to him. With no effort on his part, Wataru had been reunited with a ring whose preciousness hadn't even been realized until that day. Kazuki began to daydream about a similar universe; one in which _he_ was Wataru, and the ring was Wataru's love. Kazuki barely noticed as his eyes began to sting with a sheen of moisture. How cosmically _glorious_ would that universe be …?

"…Something I'd given up on … yeah, I guess that _would_ make me happy."

"What …?"

The delicate atmosphere shattered when he heard Wataru's breath of disbelief. What was he _doing?! _Acting all wistful, nearly _crying_ over the story Wataru had told him ... Oh god, what did Wataru think of this?!

Forcing the unshed tears back into his tear ducts by sheer force of will, Kazuki adopted an arrogant expression and tossed his sweat towel over his shoulder casually.

"Well, if you ask _me_ … it's too bad for you that we have the same design."

Wataru was certainly caught off-guard with this. If it distracted the boy from what had just happened, then Kazuki was glad for it. "What do you mean?"

Kazuki smirked. "Well, that ring looks _way_ better on me, doesn't it?"

Wataru's expression sank into a dark glare, and it was obvious that the tender moment of Kazuki's exposed weakness was forgotten. "Kazuki, how **dare** you?"

"That's "Sir" to you, Wataru. In spite of your looks, your attitude's not cute at all."

Wataru's entire face flushed with rage and embarrassment. "**C-cute…? Don't say **_**CUTE**_**! It gives me the chills …!" **He shrieked, his voice about an octave above his usual tenor tone.

Inwardly, Kazuki was amused at the boy's expression—until he realized what had come out of his mouth. '_Oh, __**shit**__…! Did I really just call him __**cute**__?!'_ He'd been so focused on making Wataru forget his moment of softhearted emotion that he hadn't even _noticed_ that he was making an even bigger fool of himself!

"Anyway, you—"

"I said you're _not_ cute," Kazuki blurted in a panic, overtop of whatever Wataru was going to say. "Stop ranting and _listen_."

Wataru's mouth shut with a snap, and Kazuki could see the movement of his lower jaw, how he ground his teeth together. Kazuki waited, sensing the outburst, knowing he had just crossed a line with his latest rudeness.

And come it did. Wataru began shouting at him, every word laced with righteous anger; every consonant sharpened to a deadly point. "Just to let you know, I'm never taking this ring off _again_! So of course I'll never lose it again, either!"

Kazuki kept his expression carefully neutral, and continued to let Wataru yell. "I have more of an attachment to this ring than you'll _ever_ have … so I pray that with each passing day, you'll get more and more _tired_ of yours! And, by the way, the fact that we have the same design _really_ gets on my nerves!"

Kazuki watched as Wataru's chest heaved to make up for loss of breath … and as he looked into blazing blue eyes, he recognized a familiar struggle within them.

Wataru was _not_ angry, not really. Instead, Kazuki saw poorly-concealed panic and regret—emotions that were so familiar to the senior that he could recognize them no matter how hard a person tried to conceal them. He saw them every day in the mirror, after all, when he looked into his own blank eyes.

Wataru regretted his outburst, just as Kazuki regretted his own. It seemed that things could never go smoothly between the pair of them … they were both liars and hiders, and without honesty there was no hope for a real conversation.

Suddenly, there came from behind them a raucous din as hundreds of students cheered and spilled out onto the quad through multiple doors. But Kazuki couldn't care less—what had been a serious concern for him a mere few minutes ago now seemed insignificant compared to the unresolved tensions between his secret crush and himself.

Wataru looked relieved; though he tried to maintain his poor illusions of anger as he turned heel on Kazuki with a snubbing air and said, "Well, I'm leaving now."

But Kazuki did not let him go. Quick as a flash, he had snatched the boy's wrist out of the air and dragged him back under the copse of trees. He barely felt the pull of resistance against his iron grip; barely heard the words sputtered by the soft lips of his catch: "W-what?! Are you _mad_?"

Was it wrong for Kazuki to desire at least one _ounce_ of honesty between them? All of this nonsense, hiding their real emotions, lying to one another—Kazuki was sick to death of it. He began to grow angry; angry at himself and at his convoluted relationship with Wataru, and angry with Wataru for perpetuating the situation with his own falsities.

Kazuki couldn't let him go without releasing some shred of truth—how could he let himself ache and grieve over a situation when it was within his power to change it …? All he needed was one little sliver of verity … to show Wataru his _real_ emotions, instead of burying them with cold, unfeeling numbness …

But how could he do it? He knew very well that he couldn't go and _kiss_ Wataru _now_ … not after what had just happened. If he hadn't lost his cool after that tender moment, then maybe … but now was not the time to reflect. He had to **act**, before it was too late and they were discovered …

And then, it came to him. It was the perfect solution—a way to confess his feelings for Wataru without the boy ever realizing what he had done.

"Kazuki …?"

"You … just won't ever _**shut up**__._"

And then Yuichi Kazuki bent down and brought Wataru's hand up to his lips, brushing them against the soft silver metal of the ring.

Wataru had been wrong to suggest that he was more attached to his ring than Kazuki was—the dark-haired boy couldn't even _begin_ to fathom how much Kazuki treasured that ring. It was the instrument through which he had been given the gift of Wataru's sporadic attention; the catalyst that had incited love and passion in Kazuki's dull heart. What better way to silently confess his love to Wataru than by kissing his most precious ring? And not just kiss it—Kazuki concentrated on filling every square millimeter of the warm metal with his purest, honest emotions.

Satisfaction came over Kazuki as, after a long moment, he pulled away and dropped Wataru's hand unceremoniously. He smirked at Wataru, a mischievous and knowing smirk that broadcasted some secret humor to the dark-haired beauty. "Serves you right."

Wataru had felt the ring was a metaphor for unexpected returns and happy reunions—but now Kazuki had changed its symbolism. The junior would never realize that Kazuki's essence had come to inhabit it … he would wear the blonde's passions around his finger without ever feeling their presence.

It was the most perfect confession Kazuki could hope for.

'_Just to let you know, I'm never taking this ring off again!'_

_Good_, the senior thought as he turned away, hesitated for a fraction of a second, and then headed back to the gym with a heavy sigh. _Then, from this day onward, in some strange way, Wataru Fujii will always belong to __**me**__._

He could settle for that.

* * *

**Today is my birthday. What better way to celebrate it than give all of you the last "Basketball" chapter?**

**This was SO. HARD. TO. WRITE. I've written this scene over and and over; so many revisions and rewrites. I'm still not 100 percent happy with the interpretation of Kazuki's thoughts ... but it's the best one I've come up with so far and I don't want to keep you guys waiting any longer.**

**I'll leave it up for you to decide—do you understand his reasoning, did I make it clear enough? Does it make sense for him to think that way? Drop me a line; tell me your opinions. I would be happy to be inspired by you guys and make a few more revisions.**

**Merry Christmas! :)**


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